Ashes to Ashes
by klcarr892
Summary: Eventually, everyone has to face the consequences of his/her own actions. Rated T for nondescript violence.
1. Guilty

**A/N** So, this is the story that has been in my head for oh, 2 years! It has taken me that long to figure out how to make everything fit and to muster up the courage to write it all down. I have 5 chapters (13 pages) complete already and I have the rest outlined.

Just as a FYI, the Jane/Other is not a pairing but simply the two main characters of my story. Gasp, I know, Lisbon isn't a main character in this one (That's all I'm saying).

To all my faithful readers, yes this is very different for me which is probably one of the reasons it took me so long to 'get er done' but If you'll take the time to read this, start to finish, I think you'll find that maybe, it's not so different after all.

A lot of research went into this but even so, all my information is from the internet and as we all know, everything on the internet is automatically true (note the sarcasm). I try to maintain as much accuracy as possibly when writing but as I've said before, I have a degree in education, not law, chemistry, criminology, etc.

**Summary:** Eventually, everyone has to face the consequences of his/her own actions.

**Rating: **T for non-descript violence.

**Warnings:** For the first time ever… Character Death(s)? (Insert dramatic music)

Dedicated to all those readers out there (I know you're there), who are itching to write but are too afraid to give it a shot. Hey, if I can write, than so can you. Pick up a pen, keyboard, whatever and just start :D

On to the fic…

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><p>Ashes to Ashes<p>

**Chapter 1**

Melody Cartwell jolted awake in her bed at quarter till five in the morning. She combed her hands through her scalp as her breathing and heart rate slowly began to decline. _Note to self, never again read case files before going to bed._ She took a moment to gather the scattered papers that were haphazardly strewn across the bed, shuffled them until they were neat, and then placed them back in the folder she had taken them from the previous evening.

Her fist case as a criminal defense attorney began today and Melody had done everything in her power to prepare for it both mentally and physically. Four months shy of 30, and she had snagged the biggest case in town. Yes, it helped that her mother held a high position in the district attorney's office. It was Mrs. Cartwell, in fact, who had sent this particular case Melody's way in the first place. Her mother had said it was 'exactly what she needed to jump-start her career; a case that was not only open and shut but also in the spotlight, covered by every local and state-wide media outlet.'

Her client was a cop killer, plain and simple, or, not so simple. To be accurate, he was more than just a cop killer. He was a sick man who presumably raped and tortured the local agent before burning her to a crisp minutes later. The young lawyer had yet to set eyes on the crime scene photos but from what others were telling her, they were not pretty.

Melody figured they guy had to be someone like her father, who used women to their heart's content and then threw them out like yesterday's trash. An animal, more or less. Needless to say, Melody didn't typically hold a high view of the male half of the human species and her client was no different. She hated the man already. She couldn't help it. It was not the best way to begin a client/lawyer relationship, but hey, just because she worked for the guy, it didn't mean she had to fall in love with him. No, Melody would do her job to the best of her ability and maybe her client would spend the rest of his miserable existence rotting away in some prison cell instead of getting the needle, but that was about it.

The evidence was unquestionable, or so she heard through the grapevine. Word on the street was the prosecution had finger prints, hair samples, bodily fluids, you name it, all the way to the plastic can used to spread the gas accelerant about the woman's bedroom as well as the video. Oh yeah, the sicko had videotaped it, or at least the parts he wanted to rewatch at a later time. Melody had yet to see the videotape (or the rest of the evidence for that matter) as it was still in the hands of the prosecution but it would be released soon. Today, Melody had other plans, like meeting her client for the first time.

Ideally, as a lawyer, Melody would have liked to be involved in the case from the very start but this one was different. For one thing, her client had never really asked for representation. The real problem was he hadn't said anything at all, not a single word since his arrest. It wasn't as simple as an accused man using his first-amendment right to remain silent either. No, her client hadn't even responded when the arresting officer had asked if he needed to use the restroom. How was she to represent her client if the guy wouldn't even communicate? Replacing the file into her briefcase, Melody made her way over to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. Forty-five minutes later, she was ready to go, coffee and briefcase in hand.

The California Department of Corrections had many facilities including the State prison in Sacramento, where Melody had her first appointment scheduled with her client. The Sacramento facility alone could house close to three thousand inmates at a time. It was a male-only facility which housed four levels of inmates, including those still awaiting trial. That percentage of the population, like her client were kept separate from the general population. The prison itself was made up of three, 180-degree half-circle levels, the most secure design as far as prisons were concerned.

The first thing Melody noticed as she was led down the grey and white corridors to the interview room was how warm it was inside the complex. When she asked the guard about the temperature, he replied a simple "less laundry". She figured that made sense since there would be less need for blankets and short sleeves must take up less room in the wash than long ones. Eventually, the guard stopped in front of a grey door.

"I'll be right out here ma'am. Knock whenever you're ready." He said, unlocking the door and holding it open for her.

Her client was sitting at a metal table on the far side of the room. His hands and feet were chained, for her protection she assumed. The man was not facing her and did not move when she entered. He was wearing the classic light-blue uniform of those not yet convicted of a crime. She noted his posture: hunched over and closed off. _This is going to be interesting_, Melody decided.

Slowly, she made her way over to the metal table and sat down across from her client on a matching metal stool. He was still staring at a point on the far wall as if Melody didn't exist at all. She made a mental note to schedule a phych eval as there was clearly something strange about the man in front of her. Maybe an insanity plea wasn't out of the question.

"Hello," She Began. "My name is Melody Cartwell and I will be representing you."

No response.

_Ok_, she thought _Let's try something else._

"They tell me you aren't up to talking as of recently so how about we try something different? I'll ask you some questions and you can answer with a simple yes or no. A head nod would work too."

Her client made no reaction to even hint that he was hearing her.

"Let's start out easy. Do you know why you're in here?"

Nothing.

Melody was beginning to get frustrated with the non-progress so she stood and positioned herself between her client and the wall he was so interested in.

"Look," She said. "I'm here to help you as best as I can but I can't do anything unless you talk to me."

His eyes remained unfocused.

"Fine, I'm apparently wasting my time here." Melody moved to retrieve her briefcase and began towards the door.

"Wait."

She startled at the unexpected plea, quiet and reserved. It was barely even a whisper. Melody turned. Her client's eyes had shifted to meet hers, finally.

"You represent me correct?" His voice was a little stronger, but hoarse.

Sam nodded, confused. Was this guy 'slow' or something?

"Which means you fight for my wishes?"

_Definitely slow_, Melody thought. "My job is to advise you through this process and yes, achieve your wishes to the best of my ability." She took a step forward. _At least we're finally getting somewhere._

The man stared down at his clasped hands on top of the table and then looked up again at Melody. The force of his gaze hit her like a tidal wave and something inside, told her he was about to say something serious.

"I…" He hesitated momentarily. "I want to plead guilty."

That surprised Melody. No one accused of first-degree murder pleads guilty. That phych evaluation was definitely a must.

"I really wouldn't advise that." Melody insisted. "I haven't yet seen all the evidence but I'm sure we can…"

"No," He cut her off forcefully.

She stopped and held his stare. _Who was the lawyer here? _She wanted to ask.

"Please," He begged less harshly, like a small child pleading for his mother.

"Alright Mr. Jane," Melody sighed, and sat again, realizing she had voiced her client's name for the first time. "Please enlighten me then. Why do you want to plead guilty?"

He gave her a slight, sad grin. "And here you were thinking I was the slow one."

_How did he…? _Melody wondered

"To answer your first question, yes I'm all to aware of why I'm in here. I'm here because I murdered a cop, not just any cop, an agent with the California Bureau of Investigation. And to answer your second question, I want to plead guilty because that cop was my best friend. I, killed Teresa Lisbon."

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><p>And so it begins...<p>


	2. No Time Like the Present

Forgot to mention this takes place in the present so spoilers from all aired eps (up to and including 4x10) apply.

and...

Disclaimer: I don't own any of TM characters (I just enjoy torturing them). I may have issues ;o)

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Melody plopped herself down on the leather chair that sat opposite her mother's large oak desk. The woman sitting behind the desk put down the file she was reading and smiled.

"Really honey, you shouldn't be this wiped out until at least your second or third case." Mrs. Cartwell said.

"You have no idea." Melody rested her elbow on the desk and let her head fall into it, agitating her blonde scalp with her fingertips.

"This is supposed to be a simple case." Her mother insisted.

"Oh, the case is fine; open and shut, just like you said. The prosecution is releasing the evidence tomorrow but I can already assure you, this guy is toast." Melody pinched the bridge of her nose. It was an expression her mother knew well as a sign of stress.

"So what's the problem then dear?"

Melody placed both hands down on the wooden surface and leaned in closed to her mother. "In the fourteen years you have worked in the DA's office, how many times have you heard of an accused murderer pleading guilty?"

Mrs. Cartwell tilted her head in thought. "Well, it's not exactly common but I have heard of clients agreeing to a guilty plea in exchange for something, a life sentence instead of the needle, typically. Sometimes accommodation negotiations are involved as well."

"That's just the thing." Melody explained. "My client doesn't want to negotiate in terms of a reduced sentence."

"What does he want then?" Melody's mother asked curiously.

**Flashback**

"Mr. Jane, you do understand that the state is going to use everything it possibly can against you? This includes more than the single murder charge. They're also looking at other incidents, specifically a ten-year old murder case, if you understand what I'm saying."

Melody watched Jane's fists clench in response and she knew he understood.

"I don't think they have any evidence to make those particular charges stick, but in your case it won't make a bit of difference. What they have on you for this recent murder is more than enough for them to seek the death penalty."

Jane swallowed. "I'm very much aware of that Melody. May I call you Melody?"

"I'm your lawyer. You can call me whatever you want."

He nodded and then mumbled something Melody couldn't quite understand.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I said, it's the very least I deserve." He paused and when Melody looked up from her notes, she was a bit surprised to find her client struggling to contain his emotions. "I uh, I don't remember much but I remember enough."

Melody nodded. "Like what?"

His gaze was turned away from her, not unlike when she first walked into the room. He was trying to hide his rising emotions from her. Melody had to wonder if this was all an act but she had a feeling it was genuine. There was no real reason for him to fake it around her. She was his lawyer after all.

He finally answered her question. "Flashes. Lisbon, tied, no chained to her bed. Me, taking advantage of her, doing things that I always swore I would protect her from."

Jane bowed his head in shame. Melody watched as her client lost the battle to contain his emotions. Silent tears streamed down the man's face and his lower lip trembled slightly.

He kept his face out of view as he continued, grief and guilt evident in his voice. "She was my best friend. My only friend, really. She knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I tried to tell her, tried to make her understand that being around me was dangerous. I just never realized that I…" At that, Jane lost ability to communicate. The slight tremble became the heaving sobs of a man with far too much regret in his life.

Melody sat in silence as the man cried. She took the opportunity to take a good look at her client's physical appearance. He was clearly gaunt and paler than a man who had only been in the system for a couple of weeks. His blonde hair was in dire need of a trim or at the very least, a little styling to tame the disorder.

She also took note of the gold band on her client's left ring finger. Melody had watched him twirl it around his finger absent-mindedly before his breakdown. The wedding band was the single piece of jewelry allowed to the inmates. Every other possession was removed and confiscated upon arrival. Melody knew her client was a widower so she assumed he kept the ring for sentimental purposes and secretly wondered if the tragedy with his family had ultimately led to his current state. Had the hunt for a murderer turned him into one? If the state and DA were correct in their assumptions, the man before her had been the culprit all along.

Melody's thoughts were halted abruptly as Jane finally managed to compose himself enough to speak.

"Please." He whispered pleadingly for a second time. "I need to do this, for her. Tell the DA I will plead guilty to the murder of Agent Teresa Lisbon under two conditions."

**End Flashback**

"He wants his family and their memory left out of this case."

Melody's mother nodded. "That shouldn't be a too difficult to negotiate seeing as there's practically no evidence that the murders were linked in any way. They're grasping at straws as far as I'm concerned. What else?"

Melody sighed. This is what was bothering her. "My client's second request is that we speed up the process. Hearings, trials, appeals, they can take years. He wants this to be over as soon as possible."

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><p>AN This one was a bit shorter but I felt this next part needed to be split up. Seemed like a good place to stop. Have I scared anyone away yet? No? You just wait (I may be scaring myself away...lol) :D


	3. Visitors

A/N Another short one but the rest are much longer. Maybe if y'all are nice, I'll post another one early tomorrow. Getting a lot typed tonight :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

By the time Melody was entering the Sacramento prison for the second meeting with her client, she had concluded that she could no longer compare the man to her father. Sure, they both had done unthinkable things to women. It had been 20 long years sing Melody had talked to her father but she remembered the long nights crying with her mother like they happened yesterday. Patrick Jane was different, or so she kept telling herself. This didn't mean that Melody liked the guy or anything but at the very least, he was man enough to face the consequences of his own actions.

Walking into the interview room for a second time, Melody visually noted those consequences were beginning to come sooner than she had anticipated. She sat down in front of Jane and simply stared. Both of Jane's eyes were ringed in black. The left eye was swollen shut and the left cheek had clearly taken a punch or two as well. His lips were cracked in two places and Melody surprisingly found herself wondering if they would allow her to bring in some Vaseline for them.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

Jane shrugged. "Visitors."

"But…" Melody leafed through the packet she had requested upon entering the building. "It says here that your only two visitors were your former teammates, agents Kimball Cho and Wayne Rigsby."

Jane just shrugged again.

Melody sighed. There was really nothing she could do about it now.

"I uh, talked to the DA. He has agreed to your terms but I told him I would consult with you one more time before we made the plea official. I need to make sure that this is what you want."

Jane nodded.

"You're essentially throwing away your right to a trial by jury." She explained though Jane already understood.

"I didn't take Lisbon's right's into account now did I? Particularly, the right to life."

Melody couldn't argue with that. She nodded slowly.

"Ok, in that case, your sentencing hearing should be in about two weeks. I have to drop by the CBI today to pick up the evidence they finally released. I really don't think they'll be anything that will help at the sentencing hearing but I'll familiarize myself with it anyway." She stood and tucked the small stack of papers back into her briefcase.

"Thank you." Jane said as Melody slung the heavy bag over her shoulder.

She looked down at her client, and swallowed. "You're welcome. To be honest, I'm not doing very much."

"Only because that's precisely what I insisted."

Melody nodded and forced her feet to take her towards the door. She couldn't ignore the tightening sensation that developed somewhere inside of her chest, making it somewhat difficult to breathe with every step she took. It was that unusual feeling that made Melody pause at the door and glance back.

"Do you, ah, need anything?"

Jane closed his eyes and shook his head. With that, Melody knocked on the door.


	4. The Promise

**Chapter 4**

She took the time alone in the elevator to compose herself. Melody wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting the remaining members of the CBI's serious crimes unit but it was a necessary part of the job. She was there to retrieve the evidence they had on her client which had, until recently, been unavailable. Now, it was being released but due to Jane's wish to plead guilty, the evidence was a mere formality.

The elevator dinged, signaling the arrival on the serious crimes floor. Melody took a deep breath, straightened her suit jacket, and strolled out of the elevator into the hustle and bustle of crime fighting. Her mind was concentrating on her immanent encounter with Jane's former teammates so she nearly ran into two men maneuvering an old leather couch towards the stairwell.

She excused herself, sidestepped out of their way, and headed in the other direction, toward the bullpen. She found the doors easily enough and entered. All eyes fell on the stranger as she strolled through the entrance.

"I'm here to see an Agent Luther Wainwright." Melody half stated, half asked. She was met with a cold stare from an Asian man sitting at one of the nearby desks. He stood and walked closer followed by a taller man with brown hair. His stare was equally cold and Melody deduced that these men must be agents Cho and Rigsby.

Cho spoke first. "Wainwright is in a meeting. What can we do for you?"

_Was that sarcasm? _Melody wondered.

"My name is Melody Cartwell. I'm here to collect the, um, evidence for my client, Patrick Jane. I was told you would be expecting me."

The Asian glanced at the taller man. "I'll take her." Rigsby nodded and walked back to his desk.

Cho headed out from the direction Melody had just entered and she assumed she was supposed to follow. They took the stairs to a lower level but the Asian paused before opening the door at the bottom. He took a step closer to Melody.

"I hope you know that we don't intend to help Jane at all. On the contrary, we'll make sure the conviction sticks this time."

Melody briefly wondered what the man meant by the comment but was quick to react. She countered by taking a step forward of her own and glanced down at his right hand.

"What happened to your hand?" She gestured to the damaged appendage.

Cho didn't even look down. "None of your business ma'am."

Melody walked around Cho and opened the door, knowing he would follow. "I'm assuming you're Cho." She voiced as they headed towards the evidence lockup.

"And you're Jane's current mark. What does he want you to do? Tamper with evidence? How much did he bribe you with?" He stood with his hands on his hips.

Melody, controlling her temper, said nothing.

"As far as we're concerned, Jane was never part of our team. He was merely using us from the start, causing one problem after another. The only one who thought differently was boss, and look where that got her."

They made it to the evidence room. The attendant had her and Cho sign a form before she was allowed to take the bag offered to her.

"These are just copies." Ch explained. "We have permission to keep the originals given the circumstances."

Melody didn't bother arguing. It wasn't like the evidence was going to be of any use anyway but she figured, the CBI probably wasn't aware of that detail yet. Melody nodded, simply hoping to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for Melody, Cho had more to say. "I don't know what schemes he has planned to get out this time but I need you to know, he's going down either way."

"Is that a threat?" Melody was seriously beginning to get angry.

"No, it's a promise."

Later, Melody would wonder what made her crack at that moment. Maybe it was her natural fight or flight response taking over or maybe she simply needed to voice the thoughts careening through her mind. Either way, when she squared her shoulders to face Cho head on, the fire in her eyes was clearly evident.

"You're wrong." She stated flatly. "What happened to your agent is a terrible, horrible tragedy. I get that but I'll have you know that my client is taking full responsibility for his actions. There will be no trial because he intends to plead guilty for the whole thing. You want to know what his one and only request is?"

Cho neither nodded nor spoke. He simply stood there and Melody took that as an opportunity to continue.

"He's asked the state to speed up the process so if I do my job well, in representing my client's wishes, Patrick Jane won't be a problem for you very much longer." With that, Melody turned and walked out of the CBI leaving a stock-still Cho standing in her wake.


	5. Evidence

Special thank you to Idonthaveaname and Kourion for your reviews. I'm pretty sure I've scared away about 99% of my regular audience, but that's ok. I'm really happy with this and that's all that really matters :D

Reminder: This chapter contains spoilers from 4x10.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

The first piece of evidence was a stack of photographs. Half of the pile consisted of stills made from the video Melody had yet to watch and the other half was taken by the crime scene tech.

The stills left no question whatsoever. Judging by the time stamped on the bottom right corner of each image, the camera had been turned on around 10pm, an hour or so after Teresa Lisbon typically arrived home from work. The first few photos were of a woman, Lisbon, chained to her own bed with two metal police-issue handcuffs. The woman didn't appear to be conscious. _Thank heavens for small favors._

Another figure entered the photos around 10:08pm. This man, clearly a suit-clad Patrick Jane looks slightly dazed as he sits on the edge of the bed and just stares down at Lisbon for a good ten minutes. For the third time, Melody ponders the man's mental state, all the while knowing she could have very well argued and won an insanity defense.

From there, the photos turned graphic. Melody flipped through them as the scene changed, dancing by her in flashes. It's was the same word Jane had used to describe his own memories of the incident. Like the photographer, his memory only seemed only to capture bits and pieces of that night.

The second to last image showed Jane re-buttoning his vest with the still unconscious Lisbon lying in the background. The only change Melody could see in the woman's appearance was her very obvious lack of clothing on the lower half of her body. Melody presumed the agent was still alive at this point but she would eventually have to watch the video to make sure.

Out of all the photographs, it was the last one that surprised her the most. It showed a now fully clothed Jane, draping a blanket across Lisbon's form. To Melody, the look in the man's eyes clearly didn't resemble that of a lustful murderer but more or a gentle lover, watching over the woman who held his heart.

Melody sighed, and flipped the entire stack of stills face down. She then picked up the photos from the crime scene. They were also time-stamped indicating that the images were taken four hours after the videotape ended.

Her one class on arson had taught Melody that beds burn very well in a fire. Porous cotton fibers, filled with oxygen ignite easily and are consumed quickly. The first few photos from the primary crime scene showed what was left of the bed: A still smoldering rectangular pile of ash. Melody could see two glimmers of something on the left and right side of the rectangle. The next photo confirmed the glimmers were from the two sets of handcuffs. There was a close-up of a small golden necklace containing a single cross charm. The gold stood out brightly against the black soot background.

Photos were also taken at secondary crime scenes, scenes in which the actual murder did not occur but where evidence had been found. A gasoline can was located in the trunk of Jane's vehicle, the handcuff keys were removed from his person, in the top left vest pocket. Agents recovered a video camera case from Jane's rented hotel room. The camera was still sitting on its tripod in Lisbon's room.

Next, Melody turned to the documented evidence: Fingerprints on the bedroom door handle, the videotape, gas can, and the front door. She stared at a page containing a single, unique shoe print. Jane was known for wearing very unique leather shoes. _Man, someone was apparently clueless when it came to forensics._

The list of documented evidence also said there was a 4-inch long switch blade found in the bedroom with Jane's fingerprints on it. Melody guessed this is why the DA had added on the torture charges.

There was so much, Melody almost wanted to say too much, evidence against her client. It was probably in everyone's best interest, including Jane's, that there would be no trial. Both she and he would have been slaughtered. Still, there was one thing that was bothering Melody and her satisfaction would require another trip to the prison.

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><p>This time, when she entered the interview room, Melody was there before her client. She figured it was because she had come unannounced so they had been unprepared. Melody sat down at her now familiar metal table and waited.<p>

Less than ten minutes later, Jane was led into the room. The swelling had gone down noticeably on Jane's face but the bruising seemed darker. Melody knew bruises always looked worse before they got better. He walked slowly, with a slight hunch. Clearly, here was a man who had given up, on everything. She almost wanted to feel bad for him but then she remembered the crime scene photos.

"Hello Melody." He said and sat down opposite her, their new routine only reversed.

"Mr. Jane." She replied, curiously.

"Please, call me Patrick, or just Jane is fine too."

"Alright Jane." She took the bag containing the evidence out of her briefcase and laid the photos out on the table, facing Jane. Melody watched as his eyes passed over each one, looking almost mystified as to what he was seeing. She watched him stop at a particular photo of Lisbon lying on the bed and picked it up. He thumbed the corners of the image delicately.

"You must think I'm a monster." Jane said.

Melody said nothing, not knowing how exactly to respond.

"I mean, I am, I suppose. Surly, only a monster would do something like this." He pointed to the line of photographs on the table.

"That's actually what I came here to talk to you about. I need to know why you think you would do something like this."

Jane sighed. "It's the question I have been asking myself every moment since I've been in here."

Melody nodded, her eyes softening a little

"All I can come up with is maybe it had something to do with my recent memory loss."

This perked Melody's interest. "You want to tell me about that?"

"There's not really much to tell. I was attacked, nearly drowned, and lost parts of my memory. I couldn't remember working with the CBI or my family's murder."

"Why, do you think this particular incident led you to kill Teresa Lisbon?"

Jane shrugged. "I told her that I was happy, that I didn't want to remember the pain, whatever the cause."

"And what did she do when you told her that?"

"At first she agreed. Then, I don't know. Lisbon changed her mind. I think it was because I was going to leave the CBI. Anyway, she brought me back to my old house in Malibu, to where my wife and little girl were murdered. You see, I left the smiley face on the wall, painted in their own blood. Needless to say, it was enough of a trigger to bring the memories back in a hurry."

"So you resented Lisbon for making you remember?" Melody asked.

"I don't know." Jane said with a sigh. "Part of me is glad that she showed me. If I forget their murder, I can't remember my purpose in life, to hunt down the man who took them from me. Another part of me feels like she had no right to force me to go through that all over again."

Melody nodded. A motive wasn't as important as television and movies portrayed them to be but she needed to know, for her own peace of mind.

"After two weeks of thinking, I've come no closer to an answer on why but I did come to another conclusion pretty fast."

"And what would that be?"

Jane lowered his eyes. "Lisbon should have let me drown."

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><p>AN In case I forget tomorrow, Happy New Year everyone! :o)


	6. Down

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!** *Throws confetti, then regrets it because now I have to clean it all up* ;o)

DanH2010: Thanks!...and I'm glad you think that. I'm counting on it ;o)

crimsonpirate: I agree, but we're on the same brainwave, so that's good. Thanks for reviewing.

A/N: Two new characters enter our story for this chapter. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do as they'll be around for a little while at least.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Unbeknownst to either party, two things happened at the exact same moment, at opposite ends of the city. First, Agent Kimball Cho was reading a newspaper on the third floor balcony of the CBI offices. The front page headline read:

Judge Seeks Death After Cop Killer Pleads Guilty

Across town, Melody's cell rang while she was in the middle of her morning routine. Melody retrieved the chirping cell phone off the kitchen table, juggling her coffee with her other hand. She had slept in after a long day of hearings but found herself still exhausted.

"Hello?" She answered the unfamiliar caller.

"Is this Ms. Melody Cartwell?"

"Yes it is. May I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Dr. Strauss. I'm the MD over here at Sac Pen and I've been informed that you are the defense councilor for a Mr. Patrick Jane. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Why, what happened?" Melody asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, assure you ma'am it's nothing very serious. It's just that your client collapsed this morning in his cell. His guards tell me he hasn't been eating properly so I'm sure that's the cause but I didn't know who else to call. He has no next of kin listed and I was wondering if you may be able to point me in the right direction."

Melody pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry I can't really help you. As far as I know, Mr. Jane has no family."

Dr Strauss sighed into the phone. "I see. I assumed as much. However, there is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Ok..?" She waited for him to continue.

"Actually, is there any way you can stop by sometime today. This is really something I need to discuss with you in person."

Melody checked her watch. "Sure, I can meet you in a half an hour if that suits you."

"That would be great. Leave your name with the front desk and I'll send someone out to get you."

"Will do."

"Thank you Ms. Cartwell. I'll see you soon."

The phone disconnected. Melody walked over to the sink, dumped her still steaming mug of coffee, and went to fetch her things.

Melody was relieved to see the man who Dr. Strauss sent to escort her to the clinic was a familiar face. She had met Walt on her first visit to the prison, asking him about the temperature of the facility but had only recently learned his name. Walt was the one person, other than herself that Jane communicated with. The two had started talking when Jane learned that the man's only son had been killed by a drunk driver. They had hit it off, I guess you could say, due to their shared tragedies. Walt was a big man, with dark copper skin. Melody had to admit the man was a bit intimidating but Jane had assured her he was a teddy bear at heart. She was thankful Walt had been assigned to Jane's watch, at least during the day shift. Melody was a lawyer but she was helpless when it came to protecting her clients against other prisoners.

When the main door closed behind them, Melody asked Walt what happened.

"I went to bring him his tea, at the beginning of my shift, before starting my rounds. Tea's the one thing he won't refuse so I try to bring him some at least a few times a day. It can't do much use but I figure something is better than nothing. When I got to his cell, I found him on the floor, out cold. Doc says it's from malnutrition and I don't doubt it one second. No siree."

They paused outside of the clinic. "Doc wants to talk to you in his office. That'll be your first door on the left." Walt unlocked the door to the clinic. Melody stepped inside.

She knocked on the wooden door before entering the small office. Dr. Anthony Strauss was a stout older gentleman with, to put it nicely, an obvious receding hairline. In all actuality, the hair had receded as far back as it was going to go, leaving only two stripes of fine white hair on either side of the man's scalp. He looked up when Melody entered, and she noted that he also wore glasses with a very strong prescription, judging by the thickness of the lenses.

"Ah, so you must be Melody Cartwell." The doctor, or 'Doc', as Walt liked to call him, extended his short, frail arm to Melody who shook it with a smile.

"Pleasure to meet you Dr. Strauss."

He chuckled. "I must say, you're not exactly what I pictured when they told me you were a lawyer."

Melody got that a lot, as did her mother. They were both pretty much spitting images of one another aside from the age difference. Tall, thin, and blonde. Yes, they would fit very well in the next Reese Witherspoon movie.

"What can I do for you doctor?" That was another Cartwell trait, straight to the point.

"Oh yes dear, let me just find the file. Right, here it is. As, I have already told you Mr. Jane was admitted into my care this morning after collapsing in his cell. Sadly, this kind of thing isn't all that uncommon in this place. Per procedure, I started an IV immediately, to help replenish some of the fluids and nutrients your client was lacking. It was as I was inserting the line that I noticed something. Ms. Cartwell, do you know if your client was a user?"

That question knocked her off guard, to say the least. "Uh, I can't say for sure but he was a consultant with the CBI so I highly doubt it. Don't they test for things like that?"

"Not my area of expertise I'm afraid. Well, whatever the case, I found clear traces of a puncture mark and considerable bruising made by someone who clearly doesn't know what they're doing with a needle. Now, the area is almost entirely healed by this point but I've seen my share of needle users. I can spot one, sometimes months after the fact."

"Well, can't _you_ test for that kind of thing?"

"Well, yes, but it's likely too late to pick up on any traces in the system. I've seen tests come back positive after six weeks but that's pretty much the extreme. Besides, I'm sure Mr. Jane was tested before he was brought here. They all are."

Melody made a mental note to check on that later. "Can I see him?"

"Mr. Jane is resting at the moment but I'm sure a visit with you later on would only do him good."

_Apparently, Doc hasn't heard the results of yesterday's hearing yet. Nothing at this point is going to do her client much good. _Melody smiled and nodded politely. "I'll try to stop by on my way back. I won't make any promises though."

"I understand. If you do get the chance, have the front desk call me and I'll send Walt for you again." He opened the door to let her out.

* * *

><p><em>AN...so, strange things are going on. What do they mean? Hmm._


	7. Support

Thank you DanH2010, crimsonpirate, and MissDonnie for your reviews. Also a big thank you to anyone who has added this story to their alert list.

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Mrs. Cartwell was delighted when her daughter walked into her office. "Why hello honey. You haven't stopped in the last few days. I was beginning to think I was becoming a bit of a bore."

"No, mom," Melody groaned. "I've just been busy with the case is all."

"And let me guess, you need my help."

_As they say, 'mother knows all'._ "I just need you to look something up for me. Can you find out if the state performed a drug test on my client after he was arrested?"

"Sure, I can look." Melody's mom said clicking through the windows on her computer. "I'm pretty sure it's procedure though."

"I know, it's just a hu.."

"Wait," Mrs. Cartwell interrupted. "Here it is. Hmm, that's definitely strange. It seems like nope, they didn't test him. I wonder why." She pondered out loud.

"Yeah, it's strange. One more thing that's bothering me. Check and see if fingerprints were found on the two sets of handcuffs. I couldn't find any documentation of their being any in the evidence copies I received but maybe they missed something."

Melody's mother scrolled through her computer some more. "Nope, no fingerprints on the handcuffs. What are you thinking Melody? It's ok, I'm not involved in this case or else I wouldn't have helped you at all."

"Well that's a relief." Melody said sarcastically. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm thinking other than I would think a person with such bad forensics skills wouldn't stop to wipe a pair of handcuffs clean and then leave the door handles. "

"Maybe the fire destroyed the fingerprints?" Her mother suggested.

"No, contrary to what you may think hand, finger and even shoe prints almost always survive a blaze. Sometimes it's just difficult finding them."

"No crime scene is perfect." Mrs. Cartwell reminded.

"It's just, some things fit together perfectly, I don't know, maybe too perfectly and then others like this make no sense at all."

"You're making this harder on yourself than you need to be Melody. From what I hear, the guy doesn't even want to fight."

"I know mom. You're probably right but I guess it just irks me that there are issues with this case and no one to fight for this guy, not even himself. I thought maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Her mother interrupted.

Melody sighed. "Nothing, just forget it. Thank you for looking up the information."

"Anytime Melody, you know that, unless of course, I'm involved with the case. Get some rest hon. You sound like you could use a good night's sleep."

"I will mom. Goodnight."

Melody would go home and get a good night's rest but it was still early yet and she had promised the doctor she would try and return on the way home. First, Melody had a quick stop to make.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting by the time she pulled into the visitor's lot at the prison. The woman at the reception desk didn't even ask what Melody wanted but simply picked up her phone to inform the doctor of her arrival.<p>

Walt came by a few minutes later and let her through the door. They walked in silence through the first few hallways but the guard spoke once they got closer.

"They'll put him in isolation now since he's refusing to eat. I'll be reassigned to another inmate."

Melody hadn't thought of that and looked up at the man concerned.

"I probably would have been reassigned anyway since he's now considered part of the general population."

"Is he in danger?" She asked.

"From the other inmates? Not any more than the rest of them and from what I hear, he's been through all this before. He ah, has his way with words. No, it's not the inmates I'm worried about."

"Then what?"

"Other guards. Most of us are alright but Jane's a convicted cop killer and prison isn't exactly the ideal place for character development if you know what I mean."

She shivered at the possibilities. "What'll happen in isolation?"

"He'll be monitored constantly. Isolation isn't what it used to be though. Ain't enough room to give a guy a regular cell to himself. Most likely, he'll be thrown into solitary and monitored via video. That way they only have to hire one guy to watch the feed, or two if you include the night shift. Budget cuts. They'll feed him through an IV three times a day for as long as he refuses to eat. At the very least, he'll be there a week, probably more."

Melody didn't exactly like what she was hearing but this was prison after all. The conversation ended when they reached the clinic.

"Jane's straight down the corridor. Doc will meet you in there."

Walt unlocked the door and Melody felt a slight wave of déjà-vu as she entered the clinic. She found Jane exactly where Walt said he would be, in a room at the end of the hallway. He was asleep; his hands cuffed to metal rails on either side of the bed. For the first time, he was wearing the bright orange jumpsuit of the regular inmates. It did nothing to help the pallor of his skin which was far too pale. There was an IV set up on the left hand side of the bed, giving Jane precious fluids and nutrients he was lacking.

Dr. Strauss coughed behind her. Melody turned.

"He's been asleep all afternoon so I think it would be ok if you went in for a couple of minutes."

Melody nodded and walked slowly into the room. Jane must have heard them talking because as she treaded closer, he was blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey," she said "How are you feeling?"

It took a moment for him to register her question. "M'tired and my head feels like it got bashed with a rock."

"How about a concrete floor? You took quite a spill there."

Jane looked at Melody's hands, or more importantly, what was in them. "That for me?"

Melody had nearly forgotten her stop at the café on her way over. She handed over the Styrofoam cup first. She had to get pretty close as the handcuffs would only allow Jane to move his arms a foot or so. "Tea," She said simply. "Walt said it was the one thing you never denied yourself. I figured it has to be better than the stuff they make here."

She watched as Jane brought his face close to the cup and inhaled the warm aroma. He closed his eyes, relishing the small pleasure. Then, Jane took a tentative sip. He swallowed and sighed.

"It's perfect. Thank you."

Melody fumbled with the remaining object in her hand, a bag. She pulled it open and retrieved a chocolate chip muffin.

"I wasn't sure what you liked." She held out the muffin like she had the tea.

Jane hesitated, staring at the muffin intently.

"It's not going to bite. You need to eat something. They're going to lock you in isolation until you stop refusing food."

Tentatively, Jane took the muffin. He then peeled of the wrapper and began to nibble at the pastry.

Melody sat on the foot of the bed, satisfied with her small triumph.

"I need to ask you a question and it's important that you give me an honest answer." She held his gaze, to show she was serious.

"Ok…"

"Before you were arrested, did you use drugs?"

Jane's brows furrowed in confusion. "No. Why?"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

Jane sighed, not really wanting to explain himself but realizing he needed to. "Not even sleeping medication. I wanted to remain alert, so that I could focus on Red John. You need to understand, finding him was my soul purpose."

"I think someone drugged you. Dr. Saunders noticed evidence of an older puncture wound on your arm. We'll never know for sure because they never tested you."

"Hmm, I was wondering that." Jane looked like he was thinking for a moment and then he exhaled. "It's not like this changes anything."

"What do you mean? Of course this could change things."

He shook his head. "Drugs or no drugs, I'm still guilty. You're forgetting I remember doing some horrible things. "

"But.."

"No," Jane insisted, more forcefully. "Unless you prove I was brainwashed to think I had done those things to Lisbon, unless you bring her here, alive and well, we are done with this conversation. We both know that's never going to happen, ergo it changes nothing."

Melody shook her head, clearly frustrated. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a stubborn fool?"

"Yeah, Lisbon, all the time."

Silence hung in the air for a few moments until Jane changed the subject.

"So, what's next?"

Melody sighed. "Next, we're automatically scheduled an appeal. I was able to get them to set a date for ten days from now for that appeal. It took a little research but I learned that after the first one, we can make a motion to forego further appeals."

"Bottom line, how long will I be in here?" Jane asked.

"It's difficult to say. It's not every day an inmate wants to help the system along rather than fight it. Based on my research, the quickest turnover after foregoing further appeals was with Timothy McVeigh and that was 6 months."

"Six months." Jane repeated quietly to himself.

* * *

><p><em>AN So, will anyone be able to knock some sense into Jane before it's too late? Stay tuned to find out. :D_


	8. Bound

MissDonnie *Blushes* Thank you. I'm glad you like it.

crimsonpirate I'm glad you're thinking about these things because that's precisely what I would have thought If I were reading instead of writing this. I love all your questions. Look for answers/hints in the next few chapters. There are answers to every one of your questions...eventually. :D

On to the next chapter... which I love because I really like the Melody/Walt tag team. I never understood how a writer could fall in love with their characters until I created a few of my own.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Five days later, Melody told herself she was calling the prison to set up an appointment with her client to discuss the upcoming appeal. If she were being honest, however, she would have to admit that there really wasn't anything more to discuss since the first appeal is always based on the trial itself. No new evidence can be entered at that time, not that her client wanted to discuss the possibility of new evidence. No, if she was being completely honest, Melody simply didn't like the idea of Jane spending all hours of the day in solitary. A meeting with a lawyer was one of the only reasons for a prisoner to be removed from isolation.

When Melody phoned the prison, she was surprised to hear that her client wasn't feeling well and had asked to reschedule the meeting at a later time. So, not admitting defeat, she tried one again a few days later with the same result. It wasn't until the day of the hearing, when her client hadn't shown up for court at all, that Melody became seriously concerned.

After apologizing to the judge, Melody drove straight over to the prison and asked for Walt. He had come to find her but asked if she minded waiting until he was on break. Melody had nearly forgotten that Jane was no longer part of his regular watch. Forty-five minutes later Walt was leading her through the complex corridors to the isolation ward. Melody walked up the first guard she found there and inquired about Jane.

"You're really not supposed to be in here ma'am. If you need to speak to your client, please make an appointment with the front desk."

While the guard tried to persuade Melody to leave, Walt glanced over at the man's manifest, which he knew held all of the inmate information for that particular block.

"He's in 308." He informed Melody.

"I must insist you leave ma'am." The guard tried as Melody and Walt started down the row of cells.

Neither listened to the man as they arrived at 308. Walt used his master key to unlock the door and Melody stepped in.

She smelled Jane before she saw anything. It wasn't pleasant but if the smell was bad, the sight was even worse. He was sitting hunched against the far wall of the square cell, bound with plastic zip tie cuffs like some kind of phych ward inmate. His entire wardrobe was soiled and it only took Melody a few minutes to conclude that they had probably left Jane in the confining position for who knew how long. With arms immobile, it was impossible to use even the provided facilities inside of the cell. The man was paler than Melody remembered if that was possible and unconscious. She looked back questioningly at Walt.

He stood, just as shocked as her. It was all the answer she needed and with blood boiling, Melody launched herself toward the other guard who stood quietly in the doorway like a mother lion defending her cubs. Walt intercepted her halfway. She struggled with the big man but he held her steady.

"Not now Melody. It won't do any good. We need to get Pat to the clinic."

She continued to struggle, but less intensely.

"Come on, he needs our help."

It was enough to break the spell. Melody relaxed.

Walt walked over to where Jane was slumped against the wall. He gently shook Jane but got no response. Then, he tried patting him on the cheek, noting the heat radiating from his pale skin.

"Come on Pat. Wake up for me."

Walt was rewarded with a low groan and two thin blue slits for eyes.

Meanwhile, melody had walked behind the duo and was working on releasing Jane from his bindings.

"You have anything to cut these with?" She asked.

He handed her his keys. "Can't have any kind of sharp weapons for safety reasons." He explained.

She proceeded sawing away at the thick plastic, being careful of Jane's raw wrists. She got one arm free and then, a few moments later, the other.

"Let's get you in to see Doc." Walt said as he hooked his arm under Jane's knees and lifted him off of the cold floor.

Melody followed as they walked past the guard holding a walkie-talkie in a threatening manner.

"Go ahead. Call your superiors. Tell them I would like to speak to them when you are through." She didn't waste another second with the man.

* * *

><p>"He's got an infection caused by an IV port that was never changed." Doc explained to Melody and Walt about an hour later. "The soiled clothes and mangled wrists certainly didn't help but I'm fairly certain he'll do just fine once the antibiotics kick in. The only thing I'm worried about is the fever but even that seems to have leveled off."<p>

Melody and Walt just stood there, taking in the information.

"What did the Warden say to you guys?" Strauss asked.

Walt answered. "He agreed to reassign me to Jane's watch as long as Melody concedes to not press charges against the guards in isolation."

"I want to." Melody said. "You have no idea how much I want to but this is best for Jane in the long run."

"Warden said he'd reprimand the guards for their behavior but we all know what that means. This whole thing will be nothing but another badge of honor, notch in their post." If anyone knew how things worked regarding prison politics, it was Walt.

"Is it alright if I go in?" Melody asked, gesturing to the door.

Dr Strauss nodded and then turned around towards his office.

Melody was glad to find Jane awake and clean. He only had one wrist chained to a bedrail this time and she assumed they finally realized he wasn't going anywhere. Melody forced a smile.

"What, that bed more comfortable than the one in your cell?" She said jokingly. "You seem to be sleeping in it a lot lately."

Jane shook his head. "No, this one just has more blankets." He was visibly shivering as she walked closer.

Melody unfolded the extra blanket sitting at the foot of the bed and draped it over the shuddering man.

"Doc has pumped you full of antibiotics and your fever is stable so you should start feeling better soon."

Jane closed his eyes. "Already feel better. M'thanks."

Melody thought he was drifting to sleep so she was surprised when Jane spoke again.

"So, I guess I missed the hearing?"

"Yeah, the judge wasn't too happy but I guess you had a fairly good excuse." She sighed. "So, now you have two options. You can reschedule the hearing which won't be for another couple of weeks at the very least."

Melody rummaged through her briefcase and retrieved a small pile of papers. "Or, you can sign these, saying you're forgoing your further right to appeal."

Jane looked at her with tired eyes, and then at the papers in her hands. "You got a pen?"

* * *

><p><em>AN Jane is seriously stubborn isn't he? Or is it something more than that? **Evil laugh** I'll let you ponder on that one for a little while._


	9. Out of Options

_A/N It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter. I had written chapters 1-8 and 10-12+ but had yet to connect the two. I had to get a few different things said in one chapter. Needless to say, I figured it out :D_

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

She watched the dark liquid swirl around in her glass, spending more time staring at the drink than actually consuming it. Melody didn't typically indulge in alcoholic beverages but the day had been long and difficult. For the first time, she found herself seriously regretting her career choice for the very simple reason that she wasn't being allowed to do her job.

She felt like she was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. On one hand, her job was plain and simple: represent her client and advise him through sometimes difficult legal proceedings. Professionally, that made sense to her. Personally, Melody found herself needing to know the truth. That created a few problems. First and foremost, it required time and time was something she didn't have.

**Flashback**

"Melody, I need you to stop looking into this." Jane said after she had explained both the anomaly with the fingerprints on the cuffs and the issue with the drug test.

"But why? I don't understand. Don't you want to know for sure what happened?"

Jane sighed in frustration, raking his fingers through hair on the back of his head. "I just can't." Jane reached for something in his lap that Melody hadn't noticed before. It was a piece of paper. Jane unfolded it and slid it across the metal table.

Melody, read the paper. Reaching a particular line she gasped, and looked up at her client. "When did you get this?"

Jane shrugged. "Last week?"

"And you're just informing me of it now?" She looked down at the paper again, not really believing what was right in front of her.

"It's the first time I've seen you since then."

"You could have contacted me." Melody sighed. "So, October 3rd?"

"Ten weeks." Jane confirmed. "Seventy days. Sixteen hundred eighty hours."

Melody folded the paper under her palm, hiding it from her sight. "I need to know, is this about Red John?"

"What?" She heard anger in the question, and for the first time it was directed at her.

"This," She said. "Why you're so willing to give up, to throw everything away."

"Everything?" Jane half spat. "What do I possibly have left to fight for? Tell me. A long life in a ten by twelve prison cell? Family? Friends? Please, because maybe I'm missing something here."

Melody turned away, said nothing.

"Melody, I'm sorry." Jane said, softer. "It's just, I'm tired of fighting, tired of losing, tired of hurting people I care about it. I would be lying if I said Red John had nothing to do with it. I mean, there's no hope of me ever finding him from in here. "

Jane paused and Melody watched the wheels turn inside the man's head as he considered his next words. "I never really told anyone this. The first few years after my family's murder, I always just assumed that when I found Red John, I would either end up dead or in prison for killing him. I spent my days planning it and nights dreaming of it, when I slept, that is. "

"And… that changed?" Melody asked, turning back to face the table, but not yet looking at Jane.

"I think so. I'm not sure how much you know, but last year I was in prison for shooting a man I thought was Red John."

Melody nodded. "I read your file. It was all in there."

"I messed up. Sure, the man was sick and probably deserved to die but he wasn't Red John. I got Lisbon shot, the team suspended, and you know what?"

She looked up.

"They fought for me anyway. Lisbon visited me in here the moment she checked herself out of the hospital. She should have gone home and rested but instead she came here. She wasn't even angry. I got her shot and there she was, telling me I wasn't crazy even though, in hindsight, I very well may have been. The team too; they could have caused more trouble for themselves by trying to help me. Van Pelt was forced to shoot her fiancé. Long story, but she was back at work, working on my case the next day."

"I.." Jane swallowed. "I don't know. After that, I started having these thoughts."

Melody rested her chin on her hand propped on the table. "What kinds of thoughts?"

"Thoughts about afterward, when we finally found the real Red John. You see, there's another thing. I started thinking in terms of 'we' rather than 'I'. When we finally dealt with him for good, maybe I would get lucky and survive the encounter. Maybe, I could continue to work with the team, build a new life here with the people who I had learned to call my friends."

_Some friends_, Melody thought to herself and then immediately realized she wasn't exactly being fair. Still, Jane was putting these people on a pedestal who recently beat the crap out of him.

"You started to live again." Melody surmised.

"No," Jane said. "But, I started dreaming that maybe someday I might."

**End Flashback**

That had been over two months ago, 68 days to be exact. Time had all but run out and Melody was out of options, not that she really had any to begin with. Today she had stopped at the prison to plea one final time for Jane to reconsider but he wouldn't even see her. She then demanded to talk to Walt who reassured her that he was fine but that he didn't want to argue about it anymore. It was then that she decided to stop in and see Dr Strauss in a last stitch effort to do, something.

"_You can't seriously be asking me what I think you're asking." Strauss said after Melody had laid out her argument along with her plea._

"_I am and I wouldn't even be asking if I wasn't desperate. Things just aren't making sense, and you know Jane. Do you seriously think he's guilty?"_

"_It's not my place to make that decision. Anyways, how is what your proposing going to help anything?"_

"_It would give me time." Melody argued._

"_Yeah, a few days if it even worked and just so you know, it wouldn't. What could you possibly do in a few days that you failed to do in two months?" Strauss was trying to be gentle with his words but get through to Melody just the same._

_Melody exhaled and her shoulders sagged in defeat. "You're right. It's just…"_

"_You care about him." Strauss finished._

"_No… yes. I mean, not in that kind of way but yeah, I guess I do."_

_The doctor nodded. "I'm sorry Melody. There really isn't anything I can do."_

So Melody had driven home, poured herself a drink of the first bottle she found in her cabinet, and settled down for a long night with little sleep. She pressed play on the remote which replayed the DVD from evidence for the third time.

If Melody wasn't drinking and if she was really paying attention to the video, she might have pointed out that the lighting in the room was slightly unnatural. She may also have noticed the camera zoom in at one point and stopped to wonder how a camera could possibly zoom in on its own but Melody wasn't really looking for evidence anymore. Instead, she hoped that maybe if she watched it enough times, it wouldn't be so bad when tomorrow; she would lose her first case in the worst possible way.

* * *

><p><em>AN This chapter is me dangling you on the top of a a roller coaster drop. You kind of know what's coming but can't quite see the extent of the drop. Tomorrow, I'll let y'all go and then throw some clues at ya. Lets see if you can catch them while free-falling. :o) Thanks for reading._


	10. Happy Birthday Pt 1

Grommit: Thank you for dropping me a note. It's good to know people are reading, and I'm sorry *cough* x2 o)

_A/N This chapter is formatted a tiny bit differently. For some reason, when I was typing this, I changed tenses halfway through. I didn't realize until I read it later. Hopefully it's fixed, but If you randomly read a sentence in present tense, you'll know why :D_

_P.S. If light-bulbs go off in your heads at all during this chapter, I would love to hear what you're thinking but try not to spoil it for the rest of the "peeps" still in the dark. Feel free to send me a PM and we can chat predictions :D_

_Ok, I'm going to leave you to this..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 - Happy Birthday Pt 1<strong>

**Monday October 3, 2011  
>8:00am<strong>

Melody ran her hands under the cold water and then splashed some of it on her face. Normally, she wore a little light makeup but not today. Instead, she had spent the few extra minutes perfecting her hairstyle and brushing her teeth. Finished, Melody stared at her reflection.

_Well, it's as good as I'm going to get_, she thought to herself.

**9:30am**

"Morning Pat," Walt said as he passed Jane's cell.

"What's the weather like today Walt?" It was the same question every morning.

"A bit cool but the sun's going to warm it up fast out there. Tea this morning pat?"

"Sure." Jane said, lounging on his cot, head resting on crossed arms.

"Anything else?"

"Nah, tea's fine." He studied familiar shapes on the ceiling wondering if the Elvis stain still remained on the ceiling at the CBI.

"Sure Pat?"

Jane thought a moment. "Actually, how about eggs, scrambled."

The big man nodded and disappeared for a few minutes. He returned with tea, exactly the way Jane liked it and a large plate full of fluffy scrambled eggs garnished with two pieces of white toast.

"Say Pat, would you like to take your tea out in the yard this morning?"

Jane thought about it for a moment and then swung his legs over the side of the cot. "Actually, that sounds nice Walt."

The guard smiled.

**9:40am**

A package was delivered to the CBI, addressed to Serious Crimes, a single manila envelope containing no return address.

**9:45am**

Jane inhaled the warm morning air as he sat alone in the yard. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds chirping in the distance. As he sipped his tea and ate his eggs, Jane watched a group of birds fly from one tree to the next just beyond the fence. Jane tore a piece of crust off of his toast and threw it on the ground a few feet in front of him. He watched as a little brown sparrow, took off from a nearby tree and landed on the concrete near Jane's outstretched legs. The bird took the comparatively large piece of bread in its beak and then flew back up, over the wired enclosure, and into the tree. He envied the birds with their wings who could simply take off and fly to wherever their hearts desired With good reason, he felt more like a caged bird or one who's wings had been clipped. Not for much longer.

**10am**

Agent Ron strolled into the bullpen, carrying a single manila envelope in his hands to be delivered to Serious Crimes. He strolled over to Cho's desk and finding it empty, placed the envelope in the center to be sure the agent would find it when he returned.

**10:30am**

Back in the cell, Walt removed Jane's cuffs and then handed over a pile of clothes: Khaki pants, a blue t-shirt, and a clean pair of underwear.

"New Clothes?" Jane eyed the pile in his hands curiously.

"Orange was never your color anyway." Walt tried to keep the mood light. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"Actually, there is, but not now." He explained to Walt what he needed.

It wasn't until after he had changed when Jane noticed the white envelope on the floor of his cell. He wasn't sure where it had come from but he picked it up none the less. The envelope wasn't sealed so Jane opened the flap and withdrew the single folded piece of paper. Written on the white pare were two words:

_I Win_

Jane folded the paper and returned it to the envelope. He then slipped the envelope into the pocket of his khakis. It took Jane a few moments to control his breathing. Thoughts of Red John gloating in triumph were almost worse than the thoughts of what the next couple of hours would bring.

**10:35am**

Rigsby strolled into the bullpen with Van Pelt trailing not far behind. He paused when he noticed the manila envelope sitting in the middle of Cho's otherwise pristine desk. It was addressed to Serious Crimes so Rigsby shrugged and then picked it up. He tore off the top and then dumped its contents into his palm. His fingers felt the CD case first and then the folded piece of paper. Curiously, Rigsby placed the CD down on the desk and unfolded the paper. His eyes scanned the writing.

Van Pelt watched Rigsby's eyes widen in shock.

"What?" She asked.

He handed over the letter. She read:

_Dear Friends,_

_We are friends now aren't we? I've been watching your unit drop like flies over the past few months. You guys really don't know how to take care of your own agents. In any case, it seems like you're missing the mark again. Do I have to do all the hard work for you? I guess that's what friends are for._

_RJ_

**10:40am**

"Someone's here to see you Pat." Walt called from somewhere down the corridor.

Jane stood, dressed in his new clothes and walked over to the bars. He saw Walt followed by Melody dressed in a grey suit, skirt, and heels. He could hear the heels clicking along the tile floors in a slow rhythmic pattern. As she drew close, he could smell her fresh clean scent.

"Hello Melody." He said with a slight grin.

"Jane." She replied in return.

"You look nice today." Jane said looking the woman up and down.

Melody blushed and then took a good look at the man on the other side of the bars. He looked lighter today she realized, a little more free than he'd ever looked. It made Melody suddenly sad.

Jane noticed her mood change immediately. "Cheer up." He said.

"Why?" It was a reasonable question.

"Because…"

Before Jane could respond, Walt appeared behind them carrying a large birthday cake, complete with 30, unlit candles.

"_Happy Birthday to you…"_ He sang.

Melody looked at Jane who grinned and then back at Walt.

"_Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Melody. Happy Birthday to you."_

"But how?" Melody asked.

"Easy," Jane said. "I knew the moment you read today's date off of that letter. It wasn't simply the suddenness of the date that you were unprepared for but also its significance."

"Sorry, I couldn't light the candles." Walt said.

"Melody, hold out your hand." Jane instructed.

Melody stretched out her arm so her hand was touching the bars. From behind his back, Jane produced a fisted hand and plopped a small objet into Melody's upturned palm: A red origami crane.

"Supposedly, if you give someone a thousand folded paper cranes, it will grant them a single wish. I didn't have the time or the resources to fold a thousand off those but I figured since it's your birthday, maybe one crane will be a enough."

Melody was suddenly choked up again as she stared down at the delicate paper object.

Walter brought her over a chair to sit in and then proceeded to cut slices of the cake. "You want some Pat?" He asked.

"No, I'm alright." Jane didn't want cake. He just wanted to watch Melody eat hers. He watched her collect a colorful flower made of frosting on her fork and then bring it to her lips, enjoying the sweet taste.

"You remind me of my daughter." He said suddenly. "You have her eyes and her determination. Plus, she loved birthday cake."

_How could this man possibly have done the things they said he did? _Melody wondered for the hundredth time as she stared into the deep, caring ocean pools that were Patrick Jane's eyes.

"I'm coming in there with you today."

Jane suddenly looked frightened, but not for himself, for her. "No Melody. I can't ask you to do that. It's your birthday. Go home, call up some friends, get smashed and forget about everything going on in here today."

Melody shook her head. "I can't. If I let you go in there alone, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Please, don't waste your breath arguing with me. My mind was made up a long time ago."

_There's that determination,_ Jane thought and nodded, giving in far sooner than he ever thought he would.

"I wrote a few letters." He told her. "I left them with Walt. Can you make sure they get where they belong?"

Melody nodded, no longer trusting her voice.

**10:55am**

Van Pelt took the CD out of its plastic case and pushed it into her computer. A minute later, a file folder opened on her computer screen. Van Pelt clicked open the folder. It contained a bunch of files all named and categorized by date. She clicked on a random date.

"What is it?" Rigsby asked.

"Tenant logs." Van Pelt said as she began reading through the list of names. "For the motel Jane rents a room from. It's a record of who stayed in the rooms each night for the past six months. It'll take me forever to go through these names."

Rigsby thought a moment. "Start with the day Lisbon was murdered and work your way backwards. I'm assuming that's what this is about."

Van Pelt nodded and began combing through the names.

**11am**

Walt was joined by three other prison guards at the top of the hour. Melody had finished her cake and they had simply sat in silence for the last five minutes or so.

"Showtime?" Jane asked. "Nice of you to join the party guys. Feel free to have some cake."

The guards said nothing. They let Walt gather up the necessary restraints and go through the procedure of securing the prisoner for transport.

"This is like a hotel. Strict 11am checkout. Leave the keys at the front desk. Need to clean the room for the next guest. Make sure you change the toilet paper, we're running a little low." Jane's hands trembled slightly as the metal shackles were fastened to his wrists.

Another one of the guards opened the cell door. Jane stepped out and the chains clanked with each step. The four guards posted themselves around the prisoner like four Roman centuries guarding over their leader. Melody placed herself behind Jane, near his left shoulder. Together, as a small huddle, they began down the hallway.

It was slow going, with Jane's feet chained together and as they walked, they gained an audience. The banging started first as other inmates waiting for the same fate smacked whatever they could against the metal bars. The banging was soon drowned out by the chanting. Jane forced his mind to block out the noise and instead, concentrated on forward motion, one foot in front of the other.

It seemed like forever, but eventually, they had made it to the end of the hallway where Jane was led into a small room for a complete physical exam. Melody had to wait outside, of course, left to ponder what the real significance of a physical was. After all, the only information they really needed was an accurate weight.

**11:15am**

Twenty three witnesses were escorted into a holding room at the far end of the building including Cho, Tommy, and two of Lisbon's other brothers. There were also two members of the media included in the twenty three but they were searched for video and audio recording devices before being allowed in the building.

**11:20am**

"Does the name Kevin Stone sound familiar to you at all?" Van Pelt asked Rigsby.

"No, it doesn't ring a bell. Why?"

"Oh, probably nothing. After all these names, everything starts to sound familiar. For all I know, the guy stayed at the hotel twice in the same month which is why the name stands out."

"Keep looking." Rigsby said.

**11:30am**

Melody watched as the door opened and Jane was escorted out and across the hall and into the hexagon-shaped room where inmates pay the final price for their crimes. He was led over to a white gurney, ironically shaped in the form of a cross with armrests outstretched at near right angles. The guards helped him lie down as they fastened a black leather strap across his legs and torso. Secured, they uncuffed the shackles around his hands and feet. More straps were fastened to secure both arms and ankles rendering the blond essentially immobile.

**11:30am**

In an adjacent room, Dr Strauss prepared 6 vials and placed them in a machine that would automatically dispense the chemicals when needed. Three main drugs were used for the procedure with a vial of saline between each to prevent mixing.

The first drug was Sodium Pentothal, an anesthetic agent that essentially rendered the prisoner unconscious. It was the same chemical used in many operation procedures. The second drug was Pancuronium Bromide, a muscle relaxant which prevented the diaphragm from working properly and stopping respiration. Potassium Chloride, the third drug, stopped the heart. It was this drug that ultimately killed the prisoner. Total time, about five minutes.

**11:35am**

Two orderlies, one on each side swabbed Jane's forearm with rubbing alcohol. One might have paused to wonder why anyone bothered to worry about possible infection. The precaution was moot after all. Then, an IV line was inserted into each arm. Two lines left one available as backup should a problem occur with the first one. A heart monitor was also attached to the prisoner. Immediately, an audible beeping rhythm filled the small room.

**11:40am**

The witnesses were escorted into the viewing room which was separated from the execution chamber by a long rectangular window. A grey curtain blocked the view into the room.

**11:40am**

Melody was staring intently at the grey curtain on the other side of the glass so she didn't immediately notice the struggle going on inside of the room. A small panicked wine, broke her out of the trance she was in. Melody looked down to find Jane's eyes wide in panic. At first she didn't understand but then she followed his eyes to where an orderly was standing to his left, attempting to remove Jane's wedding band.

Stepping forward in one quick movement, Melody placed a hand on the orderly's shoulder. "How could leaving that on possibly effect what you're about to do here?"

"I'm sorry ma'am." The orderly said. "But it's procedure."

Melody looked up at Dr Strauss who had since entered the room and was checking the IV lines and starting the saline drip on the right arm. He looked up at her and shrugged as if to say. _Sorry, procedure, what can I do?_

"Give me a minute then." She said, and walked closer to Jane's side.

"Hey," She said, placing a hand lightly on his arm. Softly, she continued. "How about you let me look after that for a little while. I promise to get it back where it belongs."

His eyes moved off her and onto the ceiling. He could neither stop the single tear that formed and dropped from the corner of his eye nor could he wipe it away. Instead, he closed his eyes and gave Melody a slight nod.

She pat his arm twice and then made her way back over to where his left hand lay outstretched. Delicately, Melody picked up his hand and slid the band off the ring finger. She grasped it tightly in her palm, trying to gain strength from the warmth radiating from the metal to her skin.

**11:45am**

Prepped and ready, the curtains slowly slid opened revealing the prisoner to the witnesses for the first time.

**11:50am**

The prison warden stepped up to a microphone hanging from the ceiling of the room.

"I've been ordered by the state of California to carry out this death sentence by means of lethal injection at a time of 1200 hours on this day, the 3rd of October, 2011." He said in a low, firm voice.

The warden looked down at Jane. "Do you have any final statements?"

Jane said nothing. Instead he turned his head to his right, through the glass. There, he could see all the witnesses. He recognized Tommy, Lisbon's brother along with two others which he immediately identified as siblings. Harold Cliff, the prosecutor from the DA's office was also present. _Easiest case the man ever _won, Jane thought. Then, his eyes shifted to the back where he spotted Cho, sitting alone. Jane wasn't surprised to see the Asian sitting there and he was glad the other two agents would be spared this particular memory.

He met Cho's eyes and the man nodded, not in understanding and certainly not in forgiveness but pure acceptance that Jane doing what was expected of him.

Jane turned away from the window and shook his head at the warden. Nothing he had to say would make anything better. He had realized this from the start. Heck, he had realized this the moment he found his lifeless family in the master bedroom of his house. The only thing that would make any difference was pure vengeance, a life for a life.

**11:55am**

"Hey, Grace, come take a look at this." Rigsby said, staring at his computer screen.

Van Pelt stood from her desk and walked over to Rigsby's computer. "I decided to check out that name you mentioned earlier. I plugged Kevin Stone into our criminal records database and came up with nothing useful. I was going to stop there, but then, for some reason, I decided to type his name into google. Take a look." He turned the screen so Van Pelt could read.

"Kevin Stone is a Hypnotist, one of the most well-known in the world. He runs a world-renown clinic out of Los Angeles."

"He roomed next to Jane for an entire week prior to Lisbon's murder." Van Pelt still had a hard time talking about it.

"Do you think Jane could have been hypnotized?" Rigsby asked.

"I don't know. Jane's pretty good himself. Is it even possible?"

"I'm not sure but this means that Jane may not have been aware of what he was doing that night."

Van Pelt considered this. "It doesn't change the fact that he killed boss though."

**12:00pm**

The warden nodded to a guard standing beside a metal box on a stand. The box had three rows of unlit lights set in three columns, a row for each of the three drugs. The guard turned a key which lit up the first column of lights in red, signaling that all three drugs were in place and ready, armed. Melody held her breath as the guard pushed a black button next to the first red light. A yellow light lit up in the next column, telling her that the first of the three drugs was being dispensed.

Melody willed Jane to look at her. At first, his eyes followed the tube trailing from his arm, through the wall, and into some unforeseen room where a machine was dispensing chemicals to end his life. Then, his head slowly turned and he found Melody's gaze. They locked eyes.

Jane was watching her with a far-away look , as his eyes slowly began to droop. She was pretty sure his thoughts were not on her, though, but on his little girl, full of curiosity and spunk as he remembered her. _You remind me of my daughter._ As Melody watched the ocean eyes close for a final time, she whispered, barely audible: "You remind me of the father I always dreamed I had."

The green light in the third column lit up. Done. Two to go.

**12:00pm**

"I agree with you Grace but surely it's enough for a stay of execution?" Rigsby asked looking at the clock.

Van Pelt looked as well, realizing what time it was. "You need to call Jane's lawyer!" She said, handing Rigsby her phone. "I have her number here somewhere." She said shuffling through the papers on her desk. She found the card the woman had left with Cho during her first visit and handed it to Rigsby who dialed the phone speedily.

There was no answer. Rigsby thought fast and dialed Cho. He sighed as the Asian picked up.

Van Pelt listened as Rigsby fed Cho the information quickly and precisely. Then, he got quiet, listening presumably to Cho's reply. Rigsby shut the phone, said nothing.

"What?" Van Pelt didn't really want to hear what she could already see in Rigsby's eyes.

"We're too late. Jane died three minutes ago."


	11. Happy Birthday Pt 2

Not Red: I know. I'm a bit evil.

MissDonnie: "As you wish." :o)

Leigh: Thanks! It is going somewhere...I think ;o)

_A/N Y'all still hanging in there? Take a deep breath. Ok, here ya go._

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><p><strong>Chapter 11- Happy Birthday Pt 2<strong>

_This is not what I signed up for when I decided to become a criminal defense attorney._Thought Melody, her eyes closed off from the image that was ripping her soul into pieces. It wasn't just the image though. Actually, the image wasn't the worst part of it. What had finally cracked Melody's collected composure was not an image at all but sound, two sounds. The first sound was completely unexpected and made Melody jump. A single loud gasp from the otherwise unconscious man lying on the table as his lungs fought one final struggle against the drugs.

The mental box on the stand beeped, signaling the completion of the second phase of the three-step process. The warden nodded a final time and the guard pressed the third button. The second sound filled Melody's ears thirty seconds later. Normally, the continuous shrill coming from a heart monitor alarm would evoke a response from medical personnel. In this instance, no one moved. Strauss spoke, announcing the time. The first tear fell down Melody's cheek as she heard the grey curtain slide closed, effectively blocking the witnesses from the image of death.

She opened her eyes as two men pushed in another wheeled gurney. Quietly, leather straps were unbuckled and tubes were disconnected. It took four men to transfer Jane onto the mobile gurney. The coroner signed a form and then nodded to Dr. Strauss, giving him the okay to wheel Jane out of sight into the adjacent room.

Melody clenched her fists, attempting to gather enough willpower to move. She felt the metal against her palm and remembered her promise. It gave her the strength to move one leg and then another towards the door. She knocked quietly with shaky hands.

The door opened a fraction and Dr Strauss peered out. Seeing Melody, he reached out an arm and yanked her inside, locking the door behind her.

"What are you doing?" Melody asked in a harsh whisper.

"Killing your career before it even really begins." Strauss said as he hurried to the other side of the room, fiddling with something inside of a cabinet. "Pardon the pun." He said quieter.

"What?" She repeated but as soon as the question was voiced, Melody knew. Strauss turned around and she watched as he filled a hypodermic needle with some unknown substance.

"You are very lucky I was thinking about retiring anyway. I turned in my letter of resignation two weeks ago."

Melody did something she feared she wouldn't be able to do for a long time. She smiled. "I've come to the decision that I don't really like this job anyway."

Strauss watched Melody as he quickly filled a second syringe. "Hey, don't you get excited yet. I'm not all that confident that this will even work." He walked over to Jane's still form on the gurney. "Do you know CPR?" He asked Melody.

She nodded.

"I'm going to need you to start chest compressions as I give these to him. "

Melody did as she was told, starting compressions and watching Strauss inject the two syringes into the unused IV port.

"What is that?" Melody asked in between compressions.

"Neostigmine to reverse the muscle relaxant and Insulin which will temporarily lower his potassium levels."

"Will it work?"

"I can't say I've ever attempted to reverse a lethal injection before. I was able to lower the doses of the latter two of the three chemicals administered which should help us, but nothing is a guarantee. Besides, he's not exactly in the best physical condition and he's been without a pulse for over five minutes."

_Come on Jane._ Melody thought. _This isn't the time to quit being stubborn._

"I'll take over for you from here." Strauss said to Melody. "Go get the respirator off the second shelf."

She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed the plastic respirator briefly wondering why there was a respirator in the room at all. Then as, a team, they worked to revive Jane.

The minutes ticked on in slow agony. After five, Melody and the doctor switched positions again. With each passing second, Melody feared their efforts would be in vain. Certainly, no one was supposed to survive an execution.

"Why is it not working?" She was beginning to lose it.

"The reversal of the muscle relaxant takes time." Strauss explained.

"How much time?"

As if on cue, a loud gasp filled the room, freakishly similar to the last gasp Melody had witnessed. She prayed that no one outside had heard the noise. Melody moved the respirator away from Jane's face as his lungs continued to suck sweet oxygen from the air.

"Jane?" She voiced tentatively.

"He's still packed full of anesthetic. He's got enough in his system for an 8-hour surgery so he'll probably be out for the rest of the afternoon, which will help us." Strauss explained.

"Why, what are we going to do?"

"First, we're going to get out of here without being arrested ourselves." Dr Strauss checked Jane's pulse and listened to his breathing with a stethoscope. Then, he grabbed the white sheet under the gurney and handed it to melody.

"Here, cover him with this."

Melody understood and draped white sheet across the prone, yet breathing man. "Hang in there Jane." She whispered.

"The van is already parked by the back exit to avoid media attention." Strauss informed her. "That's the plan, head straight for the exit. Fast but not too fast as to arouse suspicion."

Strauss pushed the bed and Melody opened the door. She glanced outside and found the hallway empty, probably cleared just for the doctor. They made it down to the end of the first corridor and then a right down the next.

"Melody?"

She froze and then turned. Walt was there, at the end of the hall they had just come from.

"I was looking for you to see if you were alright." He said from down the hall, slowly making his way towards them.

Melody glanced over to Strauss, in a silent question. _What do we do now? _Strauss shrugged.

Walt slowly made it to where they stood frozen. He glanced from Melody to the gurney. "Let me do this." He said to her gently.

"No, it's alright." She insisted. "I have to."

"Alright, but I'll help."

The three of them continued down the corridor to the door. Walt opened it with his key and Melody pulled the gurney in to the now warm afternoon sun.

"We can take it from here." Strauss said to Walt.

He looked at Strauss, then back at Melody and nodded but before walking away, pulled Melody into a tight hug. He pressed something into the palm of her hand and whispered into her ear: "Give Pat my best."

Melody smiled to herself_. Yup, Jane was right, nothing but a giant teddy bear._

Walt stepped back and retreated into the building, the door locking behind him. Melody looked into her palm which held the little red paper crane.

* * *

><p><em>AN Yeah, I couldn't be that mean. Then where would this story possibly go? lol Melody's going to need some help now so I think it's time to bring back the team. I don't think she's going to be easy on them though. :D_


	12. Words on a Page

_A/N: Hey all. Sorry I didn't post anything this weekend. I had some catching up to do. I think i'm on a roll now though. _

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Strauss unlocked the back of the van and helped Melody push the gurney into the back.

Melody glanced to the floor of the van. "What, or should I say who is that?" Melody asked pointing to the black plastic bag on the floor.

"That, is my most recent John Doe but soon it'll be Patrick Jane, on his way to Malibu to be cremated and then buried next to his family."

Melody gulped, thinking of how close they had come from that being a reality. "How long have you been planning this?" She asked.

"Longer than you. Maybe I'm old fashion but I took the Hippocratic Oath. Do no harm. What I was forced to do back there, goes against everything I believe in."

Melody closed the van doors and Strauss folded down the sheet to inspect his patient. "I've seen and treated many criminals in my time working in the prison but this man isn't one of them." He said with confidence.

"Let's just hope I can prove that, and soon."

Strauss nodded in agreement. "Ok. Do you have somewhere he can stay until this is all sorted out?"

"He can stay with me." Melody suggested quickly. "I have a guest room. We should bring him there."

"Good. You drive us there and I'll keep an eye on our patient."

Rigsby found Van Pelt in the attic, of all places. She was staring out the window with her arms crossed in front of her. Rigsby coughed to announce his presence but Van Pelt didn't so much as move. He walked until he was standing beside her, following her gaze out the window.

"I never came up here." She said suddenly. "Barely knew how to take Jane in the bullpen. This, this was like crossing over into foreign territory."

Rigsby nodded. "This is a first for me as well. I'm pretty sure boss was the only one brave enough to venture up here."

"She would never have just assumed…" Van pelt trailed, resting her palm against the cool glass. She turned her head to Rigsby, pain-filled eyes met regretful ones. "What if we were wrong? What if Jane wasn't responsible for Lisbon's murder? What if he was set up? Wayne, he died thinking he was guilty."

Rigsby gently grasped Van Pelt by the elbows. "Then, we'll find out the truth, for Lisbon and for Jane if need be. It's the only thing we can do."

"Where do we even begin?" She asked in a pleading voice.

"With this," Rigsby said, handing Van Pelt his cell phone. "Call Jane's lawyer again. If and when we find out the truth, she's in the right position to make it known."

"Why don't you call her?"

"I don't think she really want to talk to either me or Cho." He said simply.

Van Pelt didn't ask any further questions and redialed Melody's number. The phone was answered on the third ring.

"I ignored your call the first time and whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it." Melody started, recognizing the restricted CBI number.

"Wait," Van Pelt said.

Melody hesitated, not expecting to hear a woman's voice on the phone. Agent Van Pelt, she assumed.

"What agent? I don't exactly have a lot of time."

"I'll be quick. We, the team and I have received new information leading us to believe that Jane may not be entirely responsible for Lisbon's murder."

Melody couldn't help but roll her eyes despite it being a phone conversation. "You sure pick a good time to bring this up."

"Look," Van Pelt said, with a new bite in her voice. "We know we may have made a big, huge mistake but I don't have to take this crap from you. I just figured you would want to be made aware of the information."

Melody sighed and forced herself to calm down. She realized that Jane's future may very well depend on the information the agents had.

"Ok," She said. "Like I said before, I'm a bit busy at the moment but is there any way your team could meet me at my place in a few hours. We can discuss the information then. I also have something I need to give you all, so it's probably a good thing you called."

Van Pelt agreed to meet Melody at her house in three hours. She hung up after taking down the street address.

Dr Strauss helped Melody get Jane settled in her guest bedroom. Like Doc had predicted, Jane remained unconscious throughout the entire process. He left Melody with the vial of insulin, after showing her how to properly administer it and warning her against frequent use as it could cause Jane to go into a diabetic coma.

"_Now, this is only a temporary solution." Strauss Explained. "It will lower his potassium levels for hours at a time. Jane needs a hospital and fairly soon. The high levels of potassium will cause nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, and tremors. It can be very painful. If left untreated, Jane will die of either kidney failure or cardiac arrest." He finished, as a warning. _

Strauss had left soon after, to transport his John Doe to the facility in Malibu. He reassured Melody, that he would personally make sure that by the time anyone thought to identify the body, there would be nothing left to identify. It meant she would have at least a few days to do whatever she could. Hopefully Jane's former teammates had information she could use. There was a knock on Melody's front door, signaling that it was time for her to face the music. She made sure Jane was securely tucked in her guest bed, and then quietly left the room.

The faces Melody was met with when she opened the door, nearly made her change her mind about what she had decided to do in the next few minutes. All three of them looked extremely weary like they had been working on a week-long case and hadn't slept a wink. The woman, Van Pelt Melody remembered, had red-rimmed eyes filled with unshed tears. She had her arms crossed like she was desperately trying to appear strong but failing miserably. The tall man had his hand on her shoulder but he didn't look much better than she did. The Asian, Cho, whom Melody had dealt with months ago was the most composed. Still, the sag in his shoulders and downcast eyes, were an obvious contrast to the hard man Melody remembered.

She opened the door for them to enter and then led them into her kitchen. Trying to remain civil, Melody offered them coffee or tea. She watched as the three exchanged glances and then they all shook their heads simultaneously.

"Water then?"

Van Pelt answered. "Thank you. Water would be fine."

Melody retrieved four glasses from the kitchen cabinet and then filled them with the filtered water from the fridge. She then asked her guests to have a seat at the kitchen table.

As Cho, Rigsby and Van pelt found a seat, Melody rummaged through her purse. She pulled out three envelopes.

"I uh, I was asked to give you these." She handed the letters to their intended recipients. She had decided to give them Jane's letters in hopes that when she did eventually tell them the truth, they would understand why Melody had done what she had.

Melody watched closely as the agents read their letters. Witnessing their reactions she had no doubt that the letters held nothing but praise. Van Pelt shed a few of the tears she was desperately trying to hold in. Rigsby's hand shook with such a tremor that Melody wondered how the man could possibly still read the words on the page. Cho's fist clenched and unclenched unconsciously. He was last to finish as he flipped the page over and clasped his hands in front of him.

"Ok," Melody let out a breath and sat down with the silent agents. "Now that we have that over with, do you mind telling me what evidence you have that lead you to believe Jane may not have been as guilty as you first figured?"

Van Pelt opened a folder in front of her. "We received this, this morning, along with a data CD." She said handing Melody the letter.

Melody read the brief words that were supposedly written by the serial killer. "What was on the CD?"

"Jane rented a room from an extended stay motel in the southern part of town. The CD had the list of all the people who rented rooms over the last six months."

"I'm assuming one of the names meant something to you guys?" Melody said.

"Not at first," Rigsby clarified. "But Van Pelt recognized the name Kevin Stone from the list."

Melody looked up confused. "Isn't he a Hypnotist?"

"Yes, and he rented the room next to Jane starting three days prior to when Lisbon was murdered."

"You think Jane was hypnotized? Is that even possible?" Melody asked.

"We're not sure." Cho said.

"Wait," Melody said, remembering something. "Can't drugs influence the effectiveness of hypnotism?"

"They can, yes. Why? Was Jane drugged?" Van Pelt looked at Melody in surprise.

"We think so. The prison doctor spotted some old signs of injection and when I questioned Jane about it, he said he wasn't a user."

All three agents shook their heads. "Jane didn't use drugs." Rigsby said a matter-of-factly.

Melody nodded. "We won't be able to prove it because according to the records, Jane never had to submit to a drug test after his arrest."

Van Pelt looked confused again. "How can that be?"

Melody shrugged. "Beats me. There's something else. I don't know how long the CBI spent on the evidence, but there wasn't fingerprints found on the handcuffs."

"Jane's horrible at forensics." Cho said.

"Can you think of why he would wipe prints off the cuffs and not the door and camera?" Melody asked.

The agents all shook their heads.

Rigsby sighed. "We really didn't comb through the evidence very carefully. We were told to leave it with another team. Things were hard enough."

Melody nodded, feeling a bit sympathetic for the people sitting in front of her. "Ok, well then we have somewhere to start. Cho, I assume you can still access the original evidence?"

He nodded. "It all should still be there, for now anyway."

"Good, because we don't have much time."

All three agents turned to Melody in confusion.

"Why don't we have much time?" Van Pelt voiced the question they were all asking with their eyes.

Melody stood. "There's something you need to see. Please, follow me."


	13. Angels on the Moon

****_A/N Looks like this is going to be just about 18 chapters. I'm nearly done writing. Hope you're enjoying this as much as I am :o)_

* * *

><p>Chapter<strong> 13<strong>

Melody walked the three agents down the long hallway and paused at the guest bedroom door. She nodded for them to continue. They all hesitated but Cho recovered first and turned the handle. Melody moved when she heard what sounded like a cross between a gasp and a sob from the red-haired agent.

Rigsby turned to Cho. "But I thought you said…"

Cho just stood there, staring, not really believing what he was seeing. He glanced back at Melody questioningly.

"He did die, technically, for nearly ten minutes. It's a long story, one that I will gladly tell you once this whole thing is over but for time's sake, Jane is alive. He's unconscious due to the first drug, an anesthetic. He probably won't wake up for a few hours yet. He's going to need a hospital soon as it's the only place where they can get rid of all the potassium chloride in his system but obviously, he can't go there yet."

"He looks awful." Van Pelt said.

"Getting executed will do that to you." Melody couldn't help herself. "That, plus the malnutrition, the infection, and the beating he took, it's a wonder we were able to revive him at all."

Rigsby shot Cho a quick glance. All three of the agents wore bug-eyed stares.

Melody sighed. "Now you know why we don't have much time. I need to stay here. Someone needs to be with Jane when he wakes up. You all have more access to resources anyway. Why don't you go and check on the evidence. Call me if you find anything worth mentioning." She shrugged. "Who knows, maybe he can help," Melody gestured towards Jane. "When he wakes up. I hear he's pretty good at figuring out these kinds of things."

They nodded, each taking one more look at the ghost sleeping in the bed before retreating out of the room.

The sun had set and Melody was reading a book in a large armchair in the corner of her guestroom when Jane began to stir. She put her book down next to her lap and stood. Jane was mumbling something, clearly uneasy. Melody placed a hand on his arm.

"Jane, you're going to be ok. It's Melody. You're in my house."

"No." Jane said, his eyes still closed. "I did what you told me. Leave her alone, please."

"Wake up Jane." Melody said, shaking his arm slightly. "It's ok." She reassured again.

Blue-green eyes shot open, and then glanced around the room frantically.

"Hey," Emily whispered. "Over here." She instructed.

The frightened eyes circled and landed on Melody who was still leaning over the bed. She forced a smile. "Hey there stranger."

Jane shook his head in complete confusion.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Melody asked, sitting on the very edge of the bed.

Jane thought hard for a long moment. "You, eating birthday cake outside of my cell." His eyes widened in remembrance. "They were going to… wait, why am I no longer in prison?"

Melody raked a hand through her long blonde hair, taking a moment to form her answer. "I couldn't let you die like that. Actually, I did let you die like that, technically, but then Doc came through and…"

Jane looked down at his left hand, remembering more of the day. The ring was there, just as Melody had promised. Then as if a switch was flipped, the anger flared. His eyes turned cold.

"Why Melody? Why couldn't you just accept reality? I don't want to be here. Don't you get it? I want to die. You won't even let me have that. Why?"

"Because I won't let you die for something you didn't do." Melody said.

"Please, not that again." Jane grumbled. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm guilty. What can you possibly hope to accomplish? You're just prolonging the inevitable. They're going finish what they started only this time, you'll go down too. What were you thinking?"

"Maybe I was thinking that someone needed to fight for you since you're so keen on giving up on yourself. Maybe I was thinking that we were friends. Maybe I care about you, you…" She couldn't finish, feeling defeated.

"That's precisely my point. When people get close to me, bad things happen to them." He said, quoting the line he had once given Lisbon. "You just don't understand."

"Then make me." Melody practically pleaded.

Jane sighed and waited a beat, enough time to come to the conclusion that he didn't have much of a choice now. "They made me a deal."

Melody's brows furrowed in confusion. "Who, and what deal?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The prosecutor visited me, said he was told to deliver a message."

"I don't understand." Melody said.

"I'm trying to explain. They told me I had to ask that they speed up the process, make things go quicker. He told me the DA would handle everything on their end but it had to be me who suggested it, for looks sake."

"And in return?"

"They would leave you alone."

Melody stood up in shock. "What?"

Jane nodded. "I'm pretty sure you being my lawyer was a set up from the beginning. They knew my story. They knew you would remind me of my daughter. You were new, more likely to do whatever the client asked. At first, they just threatened your job, your bright future, the usual. Then, when I started asking questions, they threatened to hurt you, physically. They asked if I wanted someone else's fate on my shoulders. They knew. I figured, what did it matter? They were doing me a favor in the long run because I didn't want to be around anymore than they wanted me to be. I guess the DA took Lisbon's murder more seriously than anyone thought."

Melody couldn't believe what she was hearing but it all suddenly made perfect sense. "I'm telling you, it's more than that. I'm sure now more than ever. Your team is taking a good look at all the evidence as we speak."

Jane shook his head and then froze. "Wait, my team?"He asked, unsure if he had heard things correctly.

"Yes. Agents Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt. They were here earlier."

"Here?" Jane was finding it difficult to form more than a word or two at a time.

"Yes. We're going to figure this out Jane, one way or another." She picked up her phone and dialed a number before Jane could protest anymore. A voice answered on the second ring.

"Van Pelt."

"Hey, it's Melody. How are things going there?" She asked, as she walked out of the room.

"Well, you were right. Something fishy is apparently going on. Cho and Rigsby watched the video from the evidence. It's staged. The lighting, sound, everything is too perfect. Also, there's someone else. We have no idea who it could be but that camera definitely zooms in on two occasions which means…"

"Someone must have been manning the camera." Melody finished.

"Exactly." Van pelt confirmed. "Also, the DVD itself is apparently one of those re-recordable ones. DVD-RW, I believe they call it. Anyway, we brought it down to our tech guy. He told us that while there's no way of recovering a file that had been recorded over, sometimes it is possible to find traces of it like the file name or size. He called it a data footprint. It'll take a little while for him to come up with anything but we told him it was urgent."

"Good." Melody said. "I may have something too. Jane woke up a few minutes ago."

"Really? How is he?"

"Confused," Was the only answer Melody offered. "Anyway, he said they were using me to get him to insist that they carry out his sentence as soon as possible."

"How so and who's they?" Van pelt began jotting down notes as Melody talked.

"The DA or the prosecution I guess. They apparently threatened my job and then when Jane started poking around too much, their threats got more personal."

"Why would someone go through all that just to speed up a sentencing? Isn't being in prison enough?" Van Pelt asked.

"Not sure. I'm assuming it's someone who really disliked Jane."

"That's a long list. What do you know about the DA and the prosecuter? You're connected with that office if I remember correctly."

Melody thought back. "From what my mother tells me, the DA is a fairly sound guy, tough but that's what makes him good at his job. This other guy, Harold Cliff, I don't know very much about him but I can find out."

"See what you can dig up, and call us back. I'll call you if we hear anything from the tech department."

"Ok, will do."

"Oh, and Melody, take good care of Jane."

Melody smiled even though she was talking into the phone. "I will, don't worry."


	14. Sweet Tea

****_idonthavgeaname: Thank you. I really understand what you're saying because I find it impossible to write down a chapter until I can completely visualize it in my head so I guess that makes perfect sense. I have to admit though, that visualizing some of these things really messes with your head. ;o)_

_A/N This one's short but you can thank my dad for this one. My computer is having serious issues the least of which, I can't get online. He's trying to fix it but in the meantime said "Back up your story and post an update on my computer if you want. No need to leave your audience waiting." :D_

_P.S. Tomorrow is Thursday! Woohoo! I may have a little surprise planned for y'all to celebrate (maybe)... ;o)_

* * *

><p>Chapter<strong> 14<strong>

The nausea hit later that night. Melody had just hung up with Van Pelt after agreeing to meet with the team for breakfast at a café near her house. Her mother wasn't able to provide any useful information on Harold Cliff and the agents hadn't heard anything from their tech guy but he promised something first thing the next morning, hence the breakfast meeting. Melody was just about to have herself a quick bath when she heard the agonizing noise from where she sat in her bedroom, across the hall.

Melody climbed out of her and sprinted to the adjacent room, thankful that she had thought to place a wastebasket nearby just in case. Jane was sitting up in bed, curled around the plastic bin as heaves wracked his already weakened body. Moving on instinct, Melody slid onto the bed behind Jane, her back to the headboard, and began rubbing slow circles on the man's shaking back.

Jane was not one for comfort or physical touch but he also couldn't remember the last time he had been sick. He was fairly certain he had never felt this sick. Even after Jane was sure there couldn't possibly be anything left in his stomach, the spasms continued. Being the guarded man he was, Jane would never admit it, but he was relieved when he felt Melody slide in behind him, offering the little comfort she could. If he wasn't so focused on breathing in between heaves, Jane might have felt guilty for the words he had spoken to her earlier.

She watched as the involuntary contractions slowed and finally stopped. The tremors, however, continued so Melody tugged at one of the blankets and wrapped it around Jane's back as he tried to calm his breathing. She rubbed his shoulders in an attempt to warm him up but nothing seemed to be working.

"Are you cold?" She finally asked.

Jane nodded but said nothing.

Melody squeezed herself back out of the bed and went for the trash bin. "Here, let me go clean this out. I'll be back soon with something that should help."

Jane watched as Melody left. He clutched the blanket draped over his shoulders tightly in his fists and wondered what kind of war was going on inside of his body. Everything ached, especially his stomach, and he was freezing to the point where Jane figured he should be numb but wasn't. Eventually Melody returned with a now clean wastebasket, a cup of what he assumed was tea, and something small, made of glass.

"I don't really think I could keep down even tea at this point." Jane said weakly.

"I need you to try. This is green tea with sugar. I'm going to give you another dose of insulin and I don't want your blood sugar to tank. Orange juice would have been preferable, but I figured we could start with something a little easier to keep down." She handed him the cup but as she watched the trembling hand reach for it, Melody realized he may need some help. Instead, she sat next to him and helped him sip the tea, slowly.

Jane was embarrassed by his uselessness but slowly consumed the warm liquid, cringing at the unusual sweetness. He managed half of the tea before Melody was satisfied enough to give him the insulin. There were two things Jane feared most. One thing was a gun and the other, was needles. Jane turned away as Melody filled the syringe and lowered it towards his thigh. He flinched at the prick of the needle but Melody must have been a quick learner because before Jane knew it, the prick was gone and the ordeal was over.

Despite downing some of the tea, Melody was concerned about Jane and decided it was best if she didn't leave him alone. She propped a few more pillows behind him as he settled back down in the bed. Then, she walked around on the other side and lounged on top of the blankets. Using the remote, Melody turned on the tv and flipped through the channels, stopping on some National Geographic special.

They watched in silence and a half an hour later, Melody glanced over to find that Jane had fallen asleep. She gently checked his pulse (another thing Doc had shown her) and found it normal. Then, she turned off the bed-side lamp and lowered the volume of the tv. In the quiet, Melody simply watched Jane breathe and soon, unaware, she too began to drift off.

When Melody awoke, Jane was still sleeping soundly, only now, she had a pillow under her head and a blanket covering her. The television was also turned off so she figured Jane must have awoken sometime in the night and had tried to make her comfortable.

Melody showered, and dressed. She skipped her morning coffee figuring she would buy some at the café. Before leaving, Melody checked on Jane. He was still out so she left a note on the bed-side table along with a glass of orange juice, toast, a newspaper, and her work cell phone in case he needed to call her.

She desperately hoped the agents had some information they could use.


	15. Eyes

_A/N: So it looks like my computer is TOAST but luckily for you all, I managed to salvage what I have done on this which is good. _

_Happy TM Thursday everyone! I know I'm excited. Anyway, this chapter contains your last set(s) of clues. Much will be revealed in the next chapter (but not all)._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

Jane awoke to light streaming in through the bedroom windows, something that didn't usually happen. He looked to his left, not surprised to find Melody gone. A glance in the opposite direction told him she had not only left the room but the house entirely.

The note said she was meeting the team at a café nearby. She promised to return soon with tea but left her cell number and a phone in case he needed her sooner. Jane also spotted a glass of orange juice, some toast, and the day's paper. He nibbled on a piece of toast but decided against the orange juice, recalling the eventful evening he had experienced.

Curious, Jane sat up and unfolded the newspaper. He wasn't surprised to spot a small article about his apparent demise on the bottom right corner of the front page but something else did surprise him and for the first time since being arrested, Jane felt that maybe Melody was right. Maybe there was more to this whole ordeal than everyone wanted to think.

* * *

><p>The café was full when Melody arrived but she quickly spotted the three agents sitting at a round table near the back of the small room. They all had coffees, Agent Rigsby had some sort of jelly-filled pastry, and Cho was busy reading the newspaper when Melody walked up to the table. Van Pelt noticed her first.<p>

"Morning." She said.

"Morning." Melody replied, taking the empty seat. "So, what did you find on the disk?" Jumping right into the conversation.

"A couple of things but nothing that's really helpful." Rigsby explained. "Our tech guy was able to tell that there were video files on this DVD before, ten in all and they were each around a half an hour in length."

"Anything else?" Melody asked.

"The files each were named with two letters and a date." Van Pelt said.

Melody thought for a moment. "Initials?"

Van Pelt nodded. "That's what we were thinking since one of the initials is P.J."

"Jane." Melody said simply. "What's the date corresponding to his initials?"

"November seventeenth of last year. That's nearly a year ago." Rigsby said.

"They were planning this a year in advance?" Melody couldn't really believe it.

"No." Cho spoke for the first time. "Rigsby, what were the other initials on that DVD?"

Rigsby pulled the paper out of the folder. "TR, PF, AK, SH…"

Cho looked up "There, SH."

Rigsby tried to comprehend what Cho was seeing. S.H.? His eyes shot up. "Sarah Harrington."

Cho nodded.

"Your girlfriend?" Van Pelt asked.

"Oh, she's not involved in this." Cho quickly revealed. "But everything makes sense now."

"Would someone please like to fill me in?" Melody was annoyed, feeling left out of the loop.

Cho handed over the paper he was reading. The headline said:

**Murder Case Dropped  
><strong>_Single Witness Gone Missing_

* * *

><p>Melody raced home with the recently purchased tea, eager to share their breakthrough with Jane. The three agents were following her to the house. After she updated Jane and gave him another dose of insulin, the four of them were going to take a ride to the suspect's place of business. Agent Cho was supposedly calling in what they had to the CBI and hopefully, they could proceed with a warrant. The Asian had said he thought they had a sufficient amount of probable cause. The trick was to tell Wainwright just enough to get him on board but not so much that he freaked out and had them all suspended, or worse.<p>

Melody unlocked the front door and didn't even pause to remove her shoes. She would be heading right back out anyways. When she got to the guestroom, however, Melody found the bed empty.

"Jane?" She called, checking the bathroom, living room, and kitchen with no sign of her house guest. It wasn't until Melody returned to Jane's room that she spotted the unfolded newspaper lying face up on the bed. She also quickly noticed that her work cell was no longer in the room.

"Jane's gone." Melody told the agents when they pulled into her driveway.

"What?" Cho asked.

"I gave him the newspaper this morning. He figured it out."

"Get in." Rigsby said as Cho put the SUV into reverse.

Melody hopped in the back. "Where are we going?"

"Downtown. Jane knows the place. I'm sure that's where he'll go too."

"But how?" Melody wondered out loud. "He doesn't have a car."

"Bus or taxi probably." Cho said.

"Oh gosh." Melody said, realizing something.

"What?" Van Pelt asked sitting next to her.

"I was supposed to give Jane his insulin. It's been over ten hours since his last dose."

* * *

><p>Jane had taken one quick look at the glass vial of life-saving medication and dismissed it. Despite being a bit shaky, from not eating, Jane figured, he was feeling ok. Within a few hours it would be all over anyway. Either he would find the person responsible, and in turn be able to go to the hospital, or he wouldn't. In Jane's opinion, either option was more preferable to another needle in the leg which only prolonged his agony.<p>

In the end, Jane had decided to take a taxi downtown simply because the less people who saw him, the better. He had borrowed some cash from Melody's stash which she kept hidden in an envelope at the bottom of her sock drawer. The driver who had picked Jane up didn't give him a second glance, for which he was relieved, as he drove them downtown.

He was surprised to find the office pretty much the way he remembered it although it was clear that no one had been working in a while. The first clue was the disengaged alarm after Jane effortlessly picked the lock in the front door. He wandered to the small studio in the back, only pausing briefly to view the video set up, a detail he hadn't really bothered with the first time around. Jane wasn't surprised to find that the camera on the tripod was the exact same model as the one found at the crime scene.

Jane found the main office and went through the desk drawers quickly looking for anything stamped with a home address. In the third drawer, he hit pay dirt, a neatly filed stack of bills all with the same home address printed neatly on the front. Slapping the envelope against his hand in triumph, Jane retreated out of the office.

The first cramp hit Jane like a linebacker coming in for a tackle just before the door. He doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. With eyes clenched shut, and beads of sweat forming on his brow, Jane rode the wave of pain. He lost the little breakfast he had eaten right there on the front stoop. _Good,_ Jane thought. _ It was about time he left a little 'real evidence' behind._ He stood, a bit more unsteady on his feet than before and opened the door.

The cab was still there, waiting obediently. He had told the man only to leave if the alarm sounded, which thankfully, it hadn't.

"You're not looking to hot there mate." The cabby said as Jane crawled into the back seat. "You want to me to take you to a hospital."

"Can't." Jane rasped. "Not yet." He gave the driver the envelope with the address.

"Your funeral man." He said, as he typed the address into his navigational system.

* * *

><p>The house wasn't a house at all but a large brownstone apartment. Jane climbed out of the taxi a second time and struggled up the stairs to an electrical panel with last names listed on it, eight to be precise. Eight tries, well, seven if you remove the suspect's name. Jane knew a little about human instinct. So when he pushed one call button after another, and simply said "door" in an annoyed voice, he knew someone was bound to have a forgetful spouse or family member. Sure enough, after the fourth try, the door buzzed and Jane let himself in.<p>

The apartment he was looking for was located on the sixth and final floor. Each step was agony as the all-over pain increased by the second. Jane was plagued with two more rounds of stomach cramping before he made it to the top of the stairwell, completely exhausted.

In a bit of rare luck, Jane found the apartment door unlocked. He slowly opened it, and peeked inside. No sign of movement. No sounds either. Jane walked through what he assumed was the living room. He could see the kitchen and dining area to his left. It was clear as well. Next, was the long hallway. The first door concealed a home office, as neat and tidy as the one downtown. The next door was a bathroom. Jane moved on and stopped at the third door. It was locked. He placed his ear against the wooden panel and heard faint sounds coming from inside the room. Now if only the room would stop spinning so he could pick the lock.

The satisfying click came three minutes later, way too slow for Jane's liking but he didn't have time to be concerned. He was too eager to see the confused stare of the tall lanky woman, with cold, dark brown eyes he knew must be on the other side of the door.

Jane opened the door and froze. This room was unlike the rest. It wasn't delicately furnished or well maintained. Instead, there was a single twin bed, an old dresser and a small television which was turned on low. There was a woman sitting on the bed, up against the wall but she was neither tall nor lanky. She was petite and her eyes weren't brown at all. They were green.

* * *

><p><em>AN..._ ;o)


	16. Already Here

****_A/N: Sorry, this is a bit late today. Had to work overtime but TGIF! ;o) So, a few of you figured this out. For the rest of you, you'll get many of your answers here and then some more in the comping chapters. Plus, I still have a couple unexpected twists yet._

_P.S. If anyone is still having trouble reading CH 15, pm me and I'll send it to you. It's kind of vital to read 15 before 16 :D_

**Chapter 16**

"L….Lisbon?" Jane croaked. If this was a hallucination, Jane would gladly go on insulin the rest of his life if only for a glance at the figure in front of him.

Green eyes widened in horror as she pushed herself as close to the wall as possible.

"Lisbon, it's me. It's Jane." He took a step closer and she shook her head wildly.

_She's horrified of you._ Jane thought to himself, taking a step back. "Alright, I'm not moving any closer. See?" He raised his hands as if to surrender.

The door flew open. Jane turned and came face to face with the woman he had originally expected to see. She was holding a gun. _Great._

"I must say Erica, you're very cleaver. You almost had me, did as a matter of fact." Jane discreetly flipped the phone open in his pocket, and hit the send button, hoping against hope that the last call Melody made on this phone was to someone on the team.

* * *

><p>The phone rang at the agents plus Melody were just pulling out of the downtown lot after finding the office vacant. Van Pelt glanced at her cell, momentarily confused to see Melody's number on the screen. "Jane?" She said, once the confusion had cleared.<p>

There was no reply but she heard voices so she put the phone on speaker and turned up the volume.

"Does your phone have a record option?" Melody asked. "We may be able to use this later."

Van Pelt nodded and hit the button to record.

* * *

><p>Erica smiled. "Well, you said you wanted to be free. You wouldn't listen when I said you were capable of finding love, so this was the alternative I came up with." She said sarcastically.<p>

"No." Jane said. "You needed a scapegoat but more than that, you needed to eliminate a witness."

Erica sighed, "I knew that newspaper article would get me in trouble." She said. "I just never figured you would be the one to come up with the answer. Apparently, you have more lives than a cat. You're right of course. Peter was going to testify against me. I had to take care of him and I figured, why not take care of two problems at once? You would have tried to stop me."

"You're right. I would but why involve Lisbon?" Jane's knees quaked as he tried to focus the three Erica's down to one.

"Because, I needed you to want to stay in prison. It was perfect, really."

"Except, I'm still alive and we figured it out."

"Wrong." Erica said forcefully, raising the gun. "You, are on the verge of collapse and clearly, no one will notice if you're missing, either of you."

Jane took a queasy step to the left, his foggy mind concentrating on one thing. _Protect Lisbon. _He stared down the metal barrel of the dark gun, finding himself less frightened after facing death only yesterday. Jane willed his legs to stay upright but he was fighting a losing battle. When his vision completely disappeared, Jane knew it was over. In his last moments of consciousness, he heard two things: Lisbon, screaming his name and a single gunshot.

* * *

><p>Three months was a long time to be locked in a room. Thankfully for Lisbon, she had been drugged for the first half of the ordeal, so she only remembered the second leg of her capture. At first, she had no idea why she was there but knew her team and more specifically, Jane would be looking for her. Surly, there wasn't anything her consultant couldn't figure out, except maybe Red John. Lisbon momentarily panicked, wondering if she was indeed at the hands of the serial killer but then Erica had come to see her and shattered all those previous thoughts. She had brought with her a newspaper clipping. The clipping was of an article about an accused murderer and his sentencing hearing. That murder was none other than Jane himself.<p>

Lisbon had read over the article twice as Erica watched in amusement. The judge had asked for the death penalty after Jane admitted to murdering her, Lisbon. Clearly, she was still alive so why would Jane admit to such a thing, especially when she was still missing? It made no sense and Erica wouldn't answer any of her questions.

Two weeks later they brought in a giant calendar with only a single date circled at the beginning of October. Lisbon had a good idea what the date meant but that surprised her as well. Usually, convicted criminals spent years on death row before their sentencing was carried out. Why were they rushing things with Jane?

Erica never said a word but she came in every day, without fail, to cross off the current date with a red sharpie. She would then smile and walk out of the room, locking it behind her. Lisbon felt more and more hopeless every day. If only her team would find her. Surely, they wouldn't believe that Jane would do something like that.

Then, the day arrived: October third. Erica brought in a small television, put on the news and made Lisbon listen. There wasn't much coverage as cameras weren't allowed into the prison. Someone with a long-ranged lens caught a glimpse of Jane out in the yard the morning of the execution. It wasn't great quality but Lisbon didn't think she would have recognized the man even if it was high definition. Jane was thin, ragged, and looked like he had aged twenty years in three months. Without thinking, Lisbon touched the screen and outlined the image of what she thought would be her last glimpse of her consultant.

A couple hours later, they announced that Jane was dead. Cho and three of her brothers had watched. Lisbon hadn't cried a single time in the duration of her capture but that night she did. Lisbon cried herself to sleep. _If I were dying I'd call you but you're already here so there's no need._ Her dreams were filled with images of Jane dying alone thinking he had killed her. Less than twenty-four hours later, Jane was waltzing through the door like a ghost dressed in khakis and a blue t-shirt.

_It has to be some kind of trick,_ Lisbon thought. Erica would stoop low enough to fake a death. Lisbon was living proof of that, but the media? Surely the news couldn't have got it wrong. She pressed herself against the wall as the figure who resembled Jane, but paler and clearly ill, inched closer to her. She tried to recall if Erica or any of her 'slaves' had drugged her recently. She didn't think so. Then, the man spoke.

"L…Lisbon?" He seemed just as confused as she was. Lisbon shook her head, willing the image to stop torturing her. He was dead. End of story.

The 'Jane hallucination' as Lisbon decided to call him, raised his hands in surrender and took a step backwards. "Alright, I'm not coming any closer. See?"

Then the door opened and Erica walked in holding a gun.

Hallucination Jane turned. "I must say Erica, you're very cleaver. You almost had me, did as a matter of fact."

_He even sounds like Jane,_ Lisbon thought.

"Apparently, you have more lives than a cat." Lisbon tried to process the information she was hearing, glancing between Erica and hallucination Jane who she was almost certain now was the real thing. She heard her name and then saw the gun raise towards her. Barley managing to even stay upright, Lisbon watched as Jane forced himself to take a step, putting himself between her and Erica's gun.

_This can't be happening. I just found out he's alive and now I'm going to lose him again. Jane's not the cop. I'm supposed to be protecting him._

"Jane!" Lisbon shouted, knowing they were out of time.

When the gunshot rang throughout the room, Lisbon clenched her eyes shut tightly, unwilling to witness the carnage the bullet would cause. She heard someone fall, and wished she had blocked her ears as well. Lisbon waited for the second shot, the one that would send her to wherever Jane must have went moments earlier.

It never came. Instead, she heard the sound of another body falling and then the shuffling of feet.

"Oh…my…"

Lisbon opened her eyes. Her three agents stood in the doorway along with a blonde woman she didn't recognize. All of them had their mouths gaping like fish.

The blonde woman recovered first. She moved into the room and knelt somewhere out of sight in front of the bed. Van Pelt was next, sprinting towards her with tears in her eyes. Lisbon stood as the red-haired agent swarmed her.

"Oh, thank god." Van Pelt said as she threw her arms around the smaller woman.

Lisbon returned the embrace but her attention was focused elsewhere. From where Lisbon was now standing, she could see Erica on the floor, bleeding from a single gunshot wound through the forehead. She could also see the mysterious blonde woman kneeling next to a prone Jane, rolling him to his side and checking his wrist.

Lisbon released Van Pelt and walked over to where Jane was lying. "What's wrong with him?" She asked, noting that he wasn't wounded but clearly unconscious and white as a sheet.

"He's very sick." Melody said glancing up at Lisbon who knelt across from her. "His pulse is weak. He needs a hospital ASAP."

"Paramedics are on their way." Rigsby informed them, still standing in the doorway. He was clearly still in shock by the turn of events.

Lisbon watched as the pretty blonde woman grasped Jane's limp hand. "You've made it this far Jane. Just hold on a little longer." Lisbon wondered who this woman was and what her connection with Jane could be but before she could ask, two paramedics rushed into the room, one carrying a duffle assumedly full of medical supplies and the other holding a backboard. They quickly glanced at Erica and then moved on to Jane.

"What do we have?" The elder of the two male paramedics asked.

"Potassium Chloride Overdose." Melody said. Both paramedics glanced up at her, as if doubting her diagnosis but one look at her told them she was telling the truth.

"Ok, I need a line here. Push 2 grams bicarbonate, calcium, and insulin with 50 percent dextrose." The first paramedic ordered to the second one. Together, they got an IV line started and the drugs administered.

Then, the younger paramedic got on his radio to contact the hospital. "Patient coming in hot with acute renal failure. Potassium Chloride is the likely cause. Have a bed ready along with dialysis. ETA, ten minutes."

They secured Jane in a collar as a precaution with the fall and placed him on the backboard. Then, Jane was gone leaving five shell-shocked individuals.


	17. The Hard Truth

****Amir91 Thanks for the chapter reviews... think you've doubled my review count single-handily. ;o)

_A/N: Ok, so I was wrong there's 20 chapters ;o) Here's the next. Jane and Lisbon will talk...soon. lol_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 17<span>  
><strong>_T__he Hard Truth_

Melody recognized the raven-haired agent sitting in the plastic chair outside of the hospital room. She hadn't looked up yet but was instead deep in thought, eyes on a Styrofoam cup and white paper bag in her lap.

"Let me guess." Melody said, startling the dazed woman. "Tea?"

Lisbon looked up finally with recognition in her eyes. She nodded, "and a blueberry muffin."

Melody flashed back to a moment, weeks prior in the prison clinic, a new understanding filling her memory. "I'm sorry, we never had any formal introductions. My name is Melody Cartwell. I was…am Jane's lawyer." She offered her hand to shake.

"Teresa Lisbon."

"So," Melody began. "How's the patient?"

Lisbon sighed. "He's been on dialysis all night to filter out the potassium and to help his weakened kidneys. They had to restart his heart twice, or so I'm told."

Melody shivered. "You haven't been in to see him yet?" She gestured towards the small ICU room.

Lisbon's eyes returned to her lap. She fidgeted with the edges of the paper bag.

This woman in front of Melody didn't resemble the strong take-no-crap agent Jane had described to her so many times. "He'd want to see you. I've seen what your absence does to him. Jane was convinced he killed you and I watched as he slowly withered away, a little every day."

"Which is why I can't go in there," Lisbon said. "They nearly killed him, they did and I watched the news coverage from a locked room a half hour away. I barely even recognized him."

_So, that's the problem. She's feeling responsible. Sounds familiar. _"He's going to need you and the rest of the team. He's been alone for far too long and your company is going to be key in his healing process."

Lisbon looked up. "He had you."

Melody laughed, "I was a conciliation prize at best. He didn't even want to talk to me at first."

"Thank you by the way, for looking after him."

"Just doing my job, representing my client." Melody said. "Will you at least think about what I said?"

Lisbon nodded and stood. "I'm going to go find somewhere to reheat this." She held up the tea. "It's definitely cold by now. You going in there?"

It was Melody's turn to nod.

"Give him my best." Lisbon said.

"I will as long as you promise to go in next, after you reheat that tea."

"Alright." She agreed.

Melody heard the low whir of the dialysis machine and the steady rhythm of the EKG as she entered the small room. Jane was also hooked up to two different IV's. His skin was still pale and his protruding cheekbones spoke of too many skipped meals.

"Jane, it's me Melody. You can stop pretending to be asleep. The coast is clear."

Blue-green eyes opened. "I'm I really getting that easy to read?"

"You're hooked up to an EKG." Melody pointed to the screen. "There's a clear difference in sinus rhythms when you sleep."

"Oh, right." Jane blinked and yawned for real.

"Don't sweat it. You managed to solve your own case in your current condition. I'd say you've still got it."

"Still haven't figured it all out yet. I still have a few questions yet."

"Well, maybe I have a few answers." Melody sat down in a chair near the bed. "Ask away."

"Who sent me the threats? Was the prosecutor?"

"Harold Cliff is the brother of a Henry Cliff. That name ring a bell?"

"He was the man who beat up Erica's husband before she murdered him correct?"

Melody nodded. "Though he was angry about the matchmaking gone wrong, it didn't take long for him to fall for Erica's charms, hook line and sinker."

Jane rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't be the first."

"The threat was from Henry but Harold helped. They're both being arrested as we speak. Walt called me. He says hello by the way. Apparently, the guard from isolation is claiming that he was following orders when cuffed you in that room."

"From the prosecutor's office I suppose."

"Got it in one." Melody confirmed. "The issue with the forensics was easy to figure out too with the appearance of Agent Lisbon. They needed to move her from the bedroom and replace it with the body of the witness. That's why the handcuffs were clean and getting you to leave prints on random objects is surprisingly simple when you've been drugged out of your mind."

"They couldn't figure out it wasn't Lisbon who was killed, through DNA evidence or something,?" Jane asked.

Melody shook her head. "Unfortunately, the fire removed nearly all traces from the corpse. The forensics team was lucky enough to definitively identify the remains as human. With the video, necklace, and most importantly, the location in Lisbon's own bedroom, there was no real reason to question the identity of the body."

Jane took a minute to gather enough courage to ask the question he least wanted to ask. "The Video?"

He knew by the slight change in her eyes that his worst fears were about to be confirmed.

"The techs have been over it with a fine-toothed comb and then I had them go over it again. I'm sorry but the video appears genuine."

Jane closed his eyes. "So my memories of what I did, they're genuine too?"

"I've been doing a little reading on hypnotism." Melody said, choosing not to answer Jane's question. "Most people believe that under hypnosis, you can't be forced to do anything against your will."

When Jane's eyes snapped open, Melody realized she needed to clarify. "I'm not saying you secretly wanted to take advantage of Lisbon. You were drugged and had no idea what you were doing. All I'm saying is that maybe you have feelings for her that you don't even realize. Maybe your past is keeping those feelings buried."

Jane chose to neither confirm nor deny Melody's claims."I should have been able to fight it."

"You're not superman." Melody wasn't going to give in. "That's like Lisbon saying she should have been able to break out of captivity so they wouldn't falsely accuse you."

"That's different."

Melody shook her head in slight amusement. _Did they know how much they sounded like one another?_, she wondered. "No, it's not. You were both victims of a horrible and unpleasant plot but neither of you are to blame."

"How is she?" Jane asked suddenly.

"Lisbon? She's doing just fine. I talked to her a few minutes ago as a matter of fact. She's a bit pale but nothing a week in the sun can't fix. Actually, when this thing is over, you both should take a vacation, someplace warm."

"Lisbon should take a vacation, get as far away from me as she can get."

Melody groaned. "I don't know who's more stubborn, you or Lisbon. I have it in my right mind to lock you two in a room and force you to talk."

That got a small smirk out of Jane.

"Well, I have to go but I'll be back. Your boss, Wainwright wants a full debrief from me."

"Get some rest Melody. I'll still be here in the morning."

"We'll see." She stood and placed a light kiss on Jane's temple before leaving the room. She passed Lisbon in the hallway on her way out.


	18. Symmetric Scars

**Chapter** **18**  
><em>Symmetric Scars<em>

Lisbon entered the room and found Jane turned away from her, staring out the window to his right. For a room in the ICU, it was a fairly nice view of the city. She could see the ambulance bay and the helicopter pad of the ER. It reminded Lisbon if the time she and Jane had taken the ride in the chopper to the bio-warfare lab. He seemed so childlike, intrigued eyes staring at the whoop-whoop of the rotor blades as they climbed out, the wind whipping both of their hair with hurricane force. Then she remembered his smile as he exclaimed "That was fun!". Lisbon missed his smile. She missed his quirks. Heck, she missed her friend.

"Jane?"

At the sound of her voice, Jane visibly stiffened but neither spoke nor moved. Lisbon moved towards the bed taking in the various machines and noises she hadn't first noted. She was about to grasp Jane's shoulder and force him to look at her when she noticed the slight tremble in that very shoulder. It didn't take a genus to figure out what Melody and Jane must have discussed. Lisbon hadn't believed a word of it until her team had shown her the video and she still found it difficult so she could only imagine what Jane, who had memories of the whole ordeal, was feeling.

She knew Jane wouldn't want her seeing him like this but she also remembered Melody's words: _He's going to need you._ So Lisbon sat, and she waited. She must have dozed off at some point because she awakened to feel a tingling sensation in both of her wrists but for two different reasons. Her left hand and wrist had gone numb after she had slept with her head propped up on her arm. Her right hand, however, rested on the bed. It wasn't asleep but it tingled as well.

Lisbon opened her eyes to find Jane's pointer finger lightly tracing the faint scar line around her wrist from where the cuffs had rubbed them raw. He said nothing but he was facing her and the silent sobbing had ceased so that was progress. Lisbon knew she needed to be patient so while Jane slowly studied the lines encircling her wrists, she used the opportunity to take a good look at him for the first time.

His eyes called her attention first. They were sadder than she remembered. Lisbon wanted to scream _'but I'm alive!' _She kept silent. The dark circles under those sad eyes made Jane look older and the protruding cheekbones spoke of too many skipped meals. It was hard for Lisbon to imagine Jane, her consultant who always had a sandwich in his suit pocket or sampling suspects' food, not eating. _I watched as he slowly withered away, a little every day_, Melody had said.

Jane's hand stilled on her wrist and then, finally, he spoke. "How can you even look at me?"

Lisbon was expecting to hear something like that, but it still hurt nonetheless. She took a deep breath before replying: "Jane, I need you to look at me."

He did.

"I sat here and let you have your little self pity party but now you're going to listen to me." She glanced down at her wrist, Jane's hand lightly resting on top. "I know you're blaming yourself for at least part of what happened to me but I need you to stop. I don't remember a single thing. They had me drugged Jane. I didn't even believe it until they made me watch the video."

Jane's hand reflexively tightened at the thought of Lisbon seeing what was on that tape. He was surprised when she took her hand away and even more confused when she grabbed his wrist a moment later.

"Look at this Jane." She held his own hand in front of his face. "You've got them too. I'll bet you hadn't even noticed. I have no idea how you got your set of scars but they prove my point just the same. As much as I hate admitting it, we were both unfortunate victims in this situation. Erica was using me to crush you. We were both drugged and you were hypnotized according to the team. Don't tell me you should have been able to fight it because if that's the case, then the same goes for me. You're letting her win Jane. Please, please don't let her win. We can get through this. "

Jane's eyes seemed to clear a little and Lisbon hoped it meant she was getting through. She knew some serious talking was in order if they were ever going to be able to move past this and now was as good as any time.

"Erica had a calendar pinned up in that room, counting down the days until your execution. She came in every day with her two body guards to prevent me from beating her to a pulp because, believe me I wanted to and I would have given the opportunity. She made me watch. She brought in a television and put on the news that morning. I saw you in the yard, sitting there all alone. I wanted to scream, hit something, cry, I don't know, do something but I was useless. "

Lisbon could feel her eyes brimming with unshed tears but she knew this all had to come out, for both of their sakes. "I sat there, and just watched you for what I figured would be the last time. The feed must have only lasted a minute but it felt like time had stopped. I talked to you, I think, through the television screen."

Jane asked, "What did you say?"

Lisbon shrugged. "I don't remember all of it." She lied. "I thought back to when you tricked me, told us we were dying from some super-virus. You said that if you were dying, you'd call me. Obviously, you couldn't call and neither could I so I just talked. I had a one-sided conversation with the television screen about this and that."

Lisbon didn't go into detail because she didn't want Jane to know what she had said in those moments. She didn't want him to know that, at first, she had been angry. She had yelled at the screen, asking why he had given up, why he didn't try to look for her. He had promised to always be there to save her yet he wasn't keeping that promise. Later, when the seconds slowly ticked towards noon, Lisbon had begged Jane to take her with him. She didn't want to be locked in there alone anymore. Even if Erica eventually freed her, Lisbon wasn't sure if she really wanted to face a world in which Patrick Jane didn't exist.

"Then, they said you were gone, they had killed you and I…"

It was Lisbon's turn to face away, hiding her tears in embarrassment.

"Lisbon, Teresa, please." Jane willed her to look at him.

She did. Lisbon's raw forest green irises met his raw ocean ones.

"C'mere." He said, patting the bed, his voice raw with emotion.

Lisbon stood, moved closer to the head of the bed, and sat nervously on the edge until Jane gently tugged on her elbows and brought her to him for a long overdue embrace. Relief flowed through them like a dam releasing water. No words were spoken but all of their other senses were on full alert.. Jane smelled the faint scent of cinnamon that was truly and completely Lisbon. He could feel the warmth of her silent tears as they finally fell and soaked through the hospital gown. She, in turn, could feel each vertebra of Jane's spine through the thin cotton but it was okay because her ear was firmly secured against his chest and he steady rhythm of Jane's heart was enough to convince Lisbon that things were eventually going to be okay.

They stayed like that for quite a long time, until Lisbon felt Jane's grip on her slowly release followed by the sound of quiet snoring. She had to hold in a chuckle as she realized that he had indeed fallen asleep. If only she had a camera, she could use the picture as blackmail for the rest of time. _Jane could indeed sleep anywhere,_ Lisbon thought, though in reality, he didn't really ever sleep at all. He survived on frequent 'cat naps' whenever and wherever possible. Lisbon's shoulder was just the newest addition to this list of slumber locations.

Gently, Lisbon eased Jane back onto the reclined hospital bed and fixed the blankets, making sure Jane was tucked in properly. Then, she returned to the not-so-comfortable plastic chair at the side of the bed and prepared to wait until the weary man awoke next. _So much for that tea._

* * *

><p><em>AN I don't know why but this was a difficult chapter to write. Someone needed to snap Jane out of his funk and I figured Lisbon was the right person to do it. I tried to stay in character as best I could considering the circumstances._


	19. Case Closed

_A/N: Only the epilogue to go after this. How sad is that? :o( I've really enjoyed sharing this with y'all though ;D._

**Chapter 19  
><strong>_Case Closed_

The next time Jane awoke, the sun was setting behind the Sacramento skyline. He turned his head, expecting to see Lisbon still affixed to the chair beside the bed but that wasn't the case.

"Wow, Lisbon either you really need to go home and get some rest or these drugs the docs have me on must be really good."

"Very funny." Cho said, putting the book down he was reading.

"Where's Lisbon?" Jane struggled to sit up a little.

"She went to go look for coffee. She'll be back soon."

Jane nodded, knowing very well the real reason for Lisbon's disappearance.

Cho opened his mouth to speak

Jane stopped him. "Look, Cho, I know what you're about to say. I really don't do apologies very well. Besides, you saved my life back there and probably Lisbon's as well, when you took out Erica so I think we're even."

Cho stared for a moment. "Actually, I was going to say Rigsby and Van Pelt are bringing pizza and I was wondering what kind of topping you wanted."

Jane smiled. He knew Cho was lying, or at least he knew that there had been a well thought out apology in there somewhere but was thankful for the change in subject. "Just cheese is fine with me."

Cho nodded and the room fell into an awkward silence. Jane toyed with a thread that had frayed on the edge of his blanket.

"I was wrong before." Cho finally spoke. "When I said that you didn't care about the team."

Jane shook his head. "No. You were quite right actually. The me in that moment cared nothing about the team at all. The fact that I conned you mere minutes later should have made that clear. Now, the real me… " Jane trailed.

"Whatever, it was wrong of me to say." Cho crossed his arms. "And I'm sorry we ganged up on you."

"Ah, water under the bridge. Let's please just move on." Jane said.

Cho nodded.

Lisbon arrived with two coffees and a tea a few minutes later.

"My hero!" Jane called.

"I brought you one earlier but someone decided to take a nap." She handed Cho a coffee and Jane his tea. "Sorry, it's the best I could find around here."

"It's perfect. Thank you."

"Who's hungry?" Rigsby walked in carrying four large pizzas and a handful of balloons followed by Van Pelt with the largest stuffed bear Jane had ever seen.

The consultant's first thought was, _that'll never fit in my car._

"I thought you were going for the 5 for $25 deal." Cho said as the pizzas were deposited onto the small table near the window.

"I did." Rigsby exchanged glances with his teammates. "Hey, it's a long drive across town."

Lisbon shook her head.

"Ok, we got Hawaiian for the lady's, cheese for Jane, a pepperoni and one with everything." Rigsby divided the pizza accordingly and gave Jane two slices of cheese.

When they were all stuffed, there was still half of the cheese pizza and most of the pepperoni. Jane had managed to finish his two slices and the Hawaiian pizza was devoured by the female half of the team. Rigsby and Cho easily polished off the everything pizza and then Rigsby tried to help Jane with his cheese but reached his limit after a slice.

"Oh, I brought cake too!" Rigsby announced. "It's still in the car."

Everyone else groaned at the thought of consuming another bite. In the end, they made small talk about the case for a half hour before Rigsby could no longer contain his excitement and went to retrieve the cake.

* * *

><p>By the time Melody made her reappearance, only Lisbon was left to entertain Jane.<p>

"You missed the pizza and dessert." Jane said as she entered.

"My meeting with Wainwright went longer than anticipated. Then I had a few things I needed to do." She explained.

"So, do you want to tell Jane the news or should I?" Lisbon asked.

"Wainwright offered you a job." Jane said before Melody could answer.

Both women glared at Jane. Then Melody smiled. "You _are_ good. How did you know?"

"Good news after a long meeting. What else could it be? Plus, I'm sure he's smitten with you."

"He….is…not. I needed a new job, he offered. "

"Right," Jane quickly dismissed the denial. "Hey Melody I've been meaning to ask you, have you heard from Doc yet?"

Melody and Lisbon exchanged glances.

"What?" Jane asked. "He's not in trouble is he."

"You didn't tell him?" Melody asked Lisbon.

"HE, is right here and obviously no one told me. Now, what?"

Lisbon sighed. "Strauss is gone."

"Gone how?"

"He left the country."

Jane processed this. "I would have too if I were him but there's more isn't there?"

Lisbon nodded. "I asked Van Pelt to check up on him, make sure he made it to his destination."

"And did he?"

"Jane, Schaffer went to Jakarta."

"And what does…. Wait, Jakarta as in..?" Jane froze, understanding.

He looked at Melody. She nodded. "He's been a member of Visualize for ten years."

* * *

><p><em>AN So, I'm going to let you come to your own conclusions about that whole matter. I'm not going to expand on it anymore :D but it does give you the reason why I had the Doc save Jane instead of Melody... ah, the possibilities._

_P.S. I was just about to post this and got a horrible foot cramp. My Problem? Potassium deficiency. Ah, the irony. I'm off to eat a banana ;o)_


	20. The Phoenix

****_A/N So this is it. Crazy. Two years, and it's finally finished. I want to shout out a big THANK YOU to everyone who stuck with this. You guys are awesome! I'm actually toying with the idea of writing a novel..*gasp*. If I do decide to give it a go, it'll be thanks to all of you that I have the courage to make the attempt. I'm sure I'll come up with some TM plots as well. _

_Have a great Thursday everyone! :D  
>~Kim<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>  
><em>The Phoenix<em>

Melody watched her two new friends from a distance as they waited in line to check their luggage. She could tell they were bickering about something or another but Melody was learning that was pretty much a constant thing with them. Wainwright had practically jumped at the idea of Lisbon and Jane taking a much needed vacation. Ok, so maybe he had a _tiny_ crush on Melody too. Then, after a lengthy argument with the rest of the team, the decision was made to send them off to Florida, Orlando to be more precise. At first, Melody had picked Hawaii as the destination for their little getaway but then the team had been quick to inform her that Jane would absolutely drive Lisbon insane if all they did was lounge on a beach all day.

They had come to the conclusion that more than likely, neither Jane nor Lisbon had grown up in the kind of family that took trips to Disney and everyone needs to visit Disney at least once in their lives right? Orlando seemed like a good option because it was far enough away to forget about work for a while. Plus, it was known as the "sunshine state" and sunshine was exactly what the two of them needed.

Melody had chosen _Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort_ as their destination as it seemed to be the best of both worlds. The resort was located near all of the parks, had its own lakeside beaches and six pools. Melody figured between the amusement parks and the resort itself, there would be enough to entertain Jane should Lisbon want to relax. The team had wanted to pay for the trip but Melody insisted she chip in as well. Eventually they agreed that she would pay for the hotel and they would split for the airfare and amusement passes. What everyone didn't know is that Melody had booked them a single room with two beds. Maybe it was too big of a push but at the very least, Jane and Lisbon still had some serious talking to do and being separated in different rooms didn't seem like the best way to encourage that kind of discussion.

Finally, the luggage was tagged and passed over the counter to be checked by security. Jane and Lisbon turned and headed back towards Melody. Lisbon was wearing a blue sun dress and sandals. Jane was wearing his usual attire. Melody rolled her eyes. _Thank goodness Cho helped me switch out his luggage for some normal shorts and t-shirts. There was no way sun would penetrate that many layers of clothing._

Melody smiled as they walked up to her. "So, you both all set?"

"How come Lisbon get's the window seat?" Jane whined.

Lisbon elbowed Jane but Melody answered anyway. "Because I figured you would be getting up from your seat every five minutes. Are you guys going to refer to each other by last names the entire trip?"

Jane shrugged. "Just a habit now."

Lisbon nodded in agreement. "What about you Melody? Are you sure you want us across the country for your first week at work?"

Melody took one quick glance at Jane. "I'm sure. It's actually probably for the best."

Both women chuckled.

"What?" Jane asked. "Am I that bad? Wait, don't answer that."

Lisbon moved to give Melody a hug. "Thank you Melody, for everything."

"You're welcome. Take care of that one." She said as she moved to hug Jane.

Melody embraced the consultant and Lisbon was surprised when he returned it. "Good Luck." Jane said.

"Thanks." She released him and watched as the two agents strolled towards security and their gates.

Melody sat in the parking lot as she watched Jane and Lisbon's plane take off. With a sigh, she started her car. Tomorrow, she would begin her new job at the CBI. She was looking forward to it and eager to get started. Today, however, Melody had another matter to attend to. She stared at the little red paper crane that now sat on her dashboard. Jane's 'good luck' had not only been about her big day tomorrow but also what she was about to do. She had talked with him about it and he had even offered to accompany her when he got back but Melody had politely declined the offer. This was something she needed to do by herself.

The origami figure might as well have been a phoenix, Melody decided as she put the car in reverse and headed out of the lot, her own ash pile left in its wake. She hit her turn signal and shifted onto the onramp west, towards Solano and the prison there, where her father had been for the last twenty years.

_The End _ :o)


End file.
